


Summum Bonum

by FluffyGremlin



Category: Suits - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-08
Updated: 2012-01-06
Packaged: 2017-10-27 02:24:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/290622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyGremlin/pseuds/FluffyGremlin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Professor Harvey Specter stumbled upon a skinny student getting harassed by a campus cop, he intervened against his better judgment. He had no idea this brilliant kid would turn his world upside down. Meanwhile, Mike has now been given the opportunity to turn his life around but it might just cost him everything and everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“You _have_ to pick a Teaching Assistant, Harvey.” Harvey rolled his eyes as the voice of his boss exploded from his phone. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.”

“I can’t stand any of the grad students,” Harvey said with a groan, rolling his neck from one side to the other as he listened to another lecture from Jessica. “They’re all bitter they aren’t in Harvard and they’re self-righteous assholes who…”

“Just pick one.” Harvey made a face at his phone when Jessica hung up before slipping it into his pocket.

He was hurrying towards his next class when he heard raised voices as he neared the corner of the building and slowed his usual stride. A gruff, older voice carried better than the softer voice countering it.

“I know what I saw,” Gruff said. “So you can either hand it over, along with your ID, or I’ll take you down to the station in cuffs.”

“The station?” the younger voice scoffed. “You mean the little building at the back of campus across the street from the bakery.” Harvey smirked as he neared the two men, pausing at the edge of the building, just out of sight.

“Ow, okay, okay,” the younger voice sounded a bit more frantic now and Harvey guessed that the older man didn’t have a sense of humor. “I told you I don’t have anything. It wasn’t me.” The man let out a whoosh of air and Harvey winced when he heard a body meet the brick wall. He peeked around the corner and saw one of the campus policemen pushing the face of a thin, blonde man into the rough surface. The student, at least Harvey assumed he was a student by his casual clothes and messenger bag, was mumbling into the masonry as the officer leaned his weight into him.

Harvey stepped away from the building a bit and ruffled through his bag for a minute before pulling out the first piece of paper that came free. He tugged at the bottom of his vest so that it hung properly and would have adjusted his tie except he wasn’t wearing one. The days of three piece suits and a carefully built persona were behind him.

Taking a deep breath and throwing on his best emotion free face, he moved quickly, rounding the corner with his eyes locked on the paper in his hand. He intentionally accidentally bumped into the officer with his elbow as the other man pulled away quickly from his prey. Harvey didn’t let his eyes up until the officer had taken another step back and then he focused solely on the man who had quickly turned around, the scrapes on his face from the brickwork a harsh red.

“Harold!” he said with a loud sigh. “I was just coming after you; you left my office so fast you forgot your copy of the tutoring schedule.” He fluttered the paper towards the blonde man and turned his attention towards the cop as if he’d just noticed him. “I’m sorry, sir. Is there an issue here?”

The campus police officer was one Harvey recognized and from the look on the other man’s face, he recognized Harvey.

“Nothing at all, Professor Specter. Just asking this gentleman a few questions.” The officer slid his thumbs through his belt loops and raised his chin as he spoke. Harvey mentally sighed at the posturing but pasted on his best ass-kissing smile, the one he normally reserved for his department head.

“ _This gentleman_ is one of my TAs,” Harvey explained. The student leaning against the wall managed to nod when the officer glanced his way. “We’ve been in a planning meeting all afternoon and he forgot this when he left for class a minute ago.” Harvey held the folded paper out to the stocky cop but the man only flicked his eyes between Harvey and his supposed TA.

“He’s been with you all day?” the officer asked.

“I’m an ethics professor,” Harvey said with a grin. “Would I lie to an officer of the law?”

The officer seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, taking in Harvey’s guileless smile and educated demeanor. Harvey resisted the urge to blink under the scrutiny even as the student still staring at the two swallows audibly.

“Of course not, Professor Specter,” the officer said after awhile. He glared at the blonde by the wall one last time before nodding towards Harvey and walking away quickly. Harvey watched as he crossed the concrete stretch between buildings and disappeared into a throng of students before he turned and looked at the man still standing behind him.

The blonde stared right back, a challenging glint in his pale blue eyes. Harvey is about to say something that’s sure to be witty when the wiry young man reached forward and snatched the piece of paper out of Harvey’s grasp.

“This isn’t a tutoring schedule,” the young man said. Harvey retrieved the paper with a smirk.

“And you aren’t a tutor.” Harvey shoved the paper back into his bag and ran a hand through his dark hair.

“You lied to a cop. You psyched him out with a fire safety memo.” Not Harold seemed almost giddy in assessment of a situation and Harvey is about to walk away when the other man says something that makes him reconsider his original stoner assumption. “There’s a typo in the second paragraph.”

“There isn’t…” Harvey bit off his own words before digging the paper back out of his bag. He scanned over it twice before he spotted the issue.

“It should be ‘there’, not ‘their’.” The young man leaned back against the brick wall, crossing his legs at the ankles.

“And that’s why I hate spellchecker,” Harvey sighed. He looked back at the student. “How did you know that?”

“I read it.”

“For all of ten seconds.”

The other man only shrugged. “I absorb knowledge like a sponge and remember everything I read.”

Harvey let his eyes slide down Not Harold’s body for a moment, taking in the faded tee and ratty jeans before holding his hand out. “Harvey Specter, professor of…”

“Law and Ethics,” the other man interrupted him, taking his hand in a firm, quick shake. “Mike Ross, senior, pre-Law. You subbed for Professor Litt in my Ethical Practices of Law and Business class last year.”

“You remember _everything_ you read?” Mike nodded, a self-assured grin on his face. Harvey matches it with a slight quirk of his head and reached back into his bag, pulling out the Barbry’s Legal Handbook that always rests in the bottom. He holds it up for Mike to see and the flips it open to a random page. “Civil liability associated with agency is based on several factors including…”

“…including the deviation of the agent from his path of reasonable inference of agency on behalf of the claimant and the nature of the damages themselves.”

Harvey looked at him incredulously.

“What? I like to read.” Mike adjusted the strap of his bag where it crossed his chest, drawing Harvey’s eyes down his body again. Harvey opened his mouth and then snapped it closed again, a dangerous idea popping into his head.

“How fast do you think you can get through a semesters worth of reading and study guides?” Harvey asked after a moment.

“That depends on the readiness of pizza and Red Bull.” Mike stood up straighter. Harvey nodded.

“I need a new TA, preferably one who isn’t a dick. You’re hired. Stop by my office this evening and I’ll get you a copy of everything you’ll need and we’ll work out the pay agreement.” Mike looked at him with surprise on his face, which left Harvey feeling very satisfied in himself. He started to walk away before remembering one important detail.

“And Mike…” He spun on his heel to stare down the younger man. “Whatever happened here before I showed up does not happen again. Understood?”

Mike could only nod but Harvey could see a small smile creeping in the corners of his mouth before he turned back around and kept walking.

Jessica was going to kill him.

\------------------------------------------------

Mike groaned as he finally lifted his heavy school bag over his head and let it drop with a thud just inside the door of the apartment he shared with his best friend, Trevor, and his girlfriend, Jenny. He rubbed both hands over his face, wincing at the abrasions along his cheek, and when he brought them down Trevor was standing just in front of him.

“I’m so s…” Mike cut the other man off with a glare.

“You _left me_ ,” he accused. “You saw a cop and high tailed your paranoid ass out of there without a word of warning. I mean… What the fuck, man?”

Trevor had the decency to look contrite as Mike pushed past him and stalked towards the tiny kitchen.

“I wasn’t thinking,” Trevor tried to explain. Mike ignored him in favor of pulling a bottle of water out of the fridge. “I didn’t have classes this afternoon so I started early and just…” The dark haired man trailed off. He stepped into Mike’s personal space and reached out to wrap a hand lightly around Mike’s upper arm, forcing him to turn and face him, only inches away. “I really am sorry. I never want anything bad to happen to you, Mikey. You know that, right? You’re my closest friend.”

Mike tried to stare Trevor down before finally giving in. He handed over the bottle he was holding as a token of acceptance and turned to get another from the fridge, trying and failing to ignore that look of triumph on his friend’s face. Twisting off the cap as he straightened up, he turned back to find Trevor still standing too close. He licked his lips, a nervous gesture, and saw Trevor’s eyes dip down to watch his tongue slip along. Neither of them moved until they heard the front door open again, signaling Jenny’s return from her afternoon classes. At that Trevor rushed out to greet her and Mike took the opportunity to quickly down half his water, shivering as the coldness seeped through his core.

“Fuck,” he said softly, letting his head drop back against the fridge. He closed his eyes tight and tried to move past the feelings of betrayal he was currently aiming at his best friend. Focusing instead on the oddity that was Harvey Specter’s apparent job offer he didn’t hear anyone come back into the kitchen before he felt a light touch on his hand.

“Mike,” Trevor spoke softly and Mike opened his eyes slightly to look at him through his lashes. “I’m going to make this up to you, I swear, just… ya know… don’t tell Jenny, okay? She hates it when I smoke during the week.”

Mike closed his eyes again. “Yeah, Trevor, I know.” Trevor squeezed his hand tightly for a minute before disappearing again.

“I know,” Mike said again quietly. He drank the rest of his water slowly before finally walking back out into the main room of the apartment. Jenny already had her head bent over the books piled on her desk, long blonde hair pulled back in a rough bun. Trevor was stretched out on the couch and he favored Mike with a wink before turning his attention back towards the television. Mike chose to ignore him as he went to his room, crossing the small space to the even smaller adjoining bathroom.

Fingers tips moved lightly over the scrapes that littered his right cheek and eyebrow. Most of them were so shallow they’d disappear in a day or so. The relief he felt in the fact that none of the damage was serious did nothing to dissipate the aggravation he felt towards his friend. Trevor had cornered Mike outside of his last class, weed in hand, and completely ignored Mike’s warnings before pulling him towards the back of the Law building and lighting up. He had been trying to coax Mike into joining him, leaning in so close that Mike could feel his breath on his ear, when he’d suddenly pulled back and rushed off without a word. Mike didn’t take two steps before the cop had showed up.

Mike turned on the faucet, and waited until the water was as cold as it would flow before he splashed some on his face. He did it again and again until his hair was dripping down his back when he straightened up. He blinked at himself in the mirror, the redness on his face making his blue eyes seem brighter than usual. The sound of Trevor laughing floated through the thin walls and made Mike grit his teeth.

“One more year,” he whispered to his reflection.


	2. Chapter 2

Harvey looked up at the little knock on his office door that drew his attention away from the piles of lesson plans he was trudging through. Mike greeted him with a hesitant smile as Harvey waved for him to come in. He hovered next to a chair as Harvey highlighted one last line and then capped his marker, tossing it down with a satisfied sigh.

He was about to tell Mike to sit when he looked him over a bit more thoroughly. “Why are you wet?”

“It’s raining,” Mike said with a shrug, running his hand through dripping hair. Harvey watched as the damp strands stuck up at every angle.

“There’s this little thing I like to call an _umbrella_. Ever heard of it?” Harvey leaned back in his chair slightly, crossing his arms over his chest as Mike made a face at him that made him think the younger man was resisting the urge to stick out his tongue.

“Umbrella, from the Latin _umber_ , meaning shade or shadow, sometimes referred to as a bumbershoot. The most popular modern version was patented by a company in Loveland, Ohio in the sixties.” Mike mimicked Harvey’s posture, crossing his arms and cocking his head in a self-satisfied manner.

Harvey had to smile at the kid’s tenacity. He had a feeling it would come in handy when he realized what he was signing on for as a teaching assistant. “Bumbershoot? No, don’t.” Harvey gestured towards a wooden chair sitting in the corner of his crowded office. “Drag that over here and try not to drip on everything.”

Mike quickly obliged, dropping his soaked messenger bag beside the chair and folding one long leg underneath him as he settled down onto it. Harvey straightened up the pile of papers in front of him and set them aside for Donna to take care of tomorrow. Turning slightly in his chair, he stretched to reach a folder resting on a small pile of books on the wide window ledge behind him. He turned back towards his desk quick enough to catch Mike staring at him before the blonde could blink away.

Harvey took a deep breath before setting the folder down and opening it so Mike could read the paperwork. “Technically, TAs are supposed to be grad students who have graduated in good standing with the university. I don’t like any of the grad students. They all think they’re the Head Douche-in-waiting.”

“Technically…” Mike’s eyes ran over the contract as Harvey spoke. “And when they find out I’m not?”

“ _If_ they find out then you’ll get a reprimand and I’ll have an ax swinging over my head when it’s time to make budget cuts.” Harvey leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk as Mike looked up at him, blue eyes wide. “But I’m not worried about that. You’re a smart kid and I don’t just mean the creepy memory thing. Keep your head down, don’t make a fool out of me and everything will be just fine.”

Mike chewed on his lip for a moment before grabbing a pen from the desk and signing the form without any flourish. “You’re the boss.” Harvey smiled and took the paperwork, adding his signature before tossing the folder on top of Donna’s to-do pile.

“Now that you’ve officially sold your soul I can tell you what you’re going to be doing.” Harvey stood up and grabbed the stack of books off of the window ledge, walking around his desk to drop them on Mike’s lap. “That’s the semester’s worth of reading for the three classes I need you for. There are five Intro to Law courses, massive freshman lectures where I might remember one or two faces, two 300-level ethics courses, and one senior course in criminal law.”

“Eclectic,” Mike said, running a finger along the row of spines in a way Harvey didn’t want to like.

Harvey shook himself and went back to his seat, putting a desk between him and the undergrad. “Luck is more like it. Jessica took pity on me after last year’s course load. Louis was chomping at the bit to get at more of the upperclassman classes and I was glad to give them up.”

Mike was flipping through the topmost book on his pile. “So, going off of the limited experience I have with my own TAs, I’m guessing, what… study sessions and helping with papers?”

“And helping facilitate the mock-trial at the end of the semester. My seniors versus Louis’. I almost always win.” Harvey could help but smirk a bit. Mike matched it.

“Except last year.” Mike’s grin made Harvey pause. “Last year…” Mike prodded. “In the spring your team lost. I didn’t really agree with the decision but you take your chances in front of a jury, right?”

“How did you know that? Louis wouldn’t shut up about it for weeks.”

“I was on his team,” Mike said cautiously. Harvey shook his head.

“You can’t take that course as a junior.”

“You _can_ if you get an exception and I was trying to graduate early so…” Mike drifted off, suddenly becoming very interested with a row of post-it notes stuck on Harvey’s wall.

“ _Was_?” Mike starred resolutely past Harvey’s shoulder. “Tell me about it?” Harvey used a gentle tone, the kind he once reserved to put clients at ease. Mike finally met his eyes and nodded slightly.

“Ask me again sometime.” Harvey nodded and quickly changed the subject.

\------------------------------------------------

The first thing Mike noticed when he got home was the perfumed smell of sweet sour spicy smoke covered by too much air freshener. He dropped his heavy bag with a sigh and thudded his head against the wall, taking several deep breaths before straightening up and making his way further into the apartment. He found Trevor stretched out on the couch wearing nothing but thin boxers with a bowl of chips balancing on his stomach.

“What did you fight about this time?” Mike asked as he reached down to push Trevor’s feet off of the couch. The other man’s reflexes were slow and he nearly dropped the bowl as he straightened up slightly, allowing space for Mike to sit before stretching his legs back out on his lap.

Trevor grunted, shoving more chips in his mouth and watching the television with a glazed look in his eye. He finally looked at Mike after several silent minutes and gaze in with a much put-upon look. “My mom called and invited us home this weekend for dinner.”

“That’s…” Mike stopped when Trevor shook his head and motioned his hand between them.

“ _Us_ , Mikey, us. Not Jenny.” Mike dropped his head back against the back of the couch as Trevor turned his attention back to the waifs dancing around on screen. “You know Mom’s never liked Jenny.”

“You probably shouldn’t have blamed Jenny for the bag of weed she found in your room when we were fourteen.” Mike closed his eyes and let the warmth of the apartment chase away the dampness that had set in his bones from the long bike ride.

Trevor shifted his legs slightly, pressing them into Mike’s thighs. “I couldn’t blame you,” he said softly, as if it should have been the obvious conclusion. “The woman may have snapped and I wasn’t risking you.”

“Yet you happily gave up your girlfriend.”

“Bros before hos, Mike my love.” Mike didn’t have to open his eyes to know there was a huge smile on Trevor’s face.

“Ignoring the fact that you just called your girlfriend a ho,” Mike said coldly, “I’d like to point out that it may be bros before hos with your mom but it seems to be you before me when cops are involved.” He opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side, not nearly as satisfied as he thought he would be at the hurt look on Trevor’s face.

“C’mon, Mike.” Trevor moved quickly, swinging his feet to the floor and setting the chips aside as he moved in closer to the shorter blonde. “C’mon, man, don’t do that.” Trevor set one hand on Mike’s chest, a warmth that cut through the cold. “I never would have left you hanging if I thought you’d get in trouble. I could apologize a million times and never make it okay but… I can’t deal with you mad at me. Please, Mike, please don’t be mad.”

Mike felt like he _should_ be mad. He felt like he should be furious at his friend and refuse him any form of forgiveness. He would have said so too, had the look on Trevor’s face not stopped the words in his throat. Instead he just nodded and forced a small smile. Anything else was preempted by the trill sound of his phone ringing. He pushed Trevor away with more force than was necessary and started looking for it, moving aside stacks of paper on the coffee table before getting up and riffling through his jacket pockets.

“You lost it again,” Trevor said with an amused grin. Mike just grimaced as he moved to his bag, tossing books onto the floor until he found it buried at the bottom. He answered it quickly.

“Hello? Gram? Yea, no… no, I just left it in my bag.” Mike rolled his eyes as he moved towards his bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. “How are you feeling? The home called and said you weren’t taking all of your pills again. Gammy, that’s crazy. Dr. Schraeger gave me her word she wouldn’t poison you until January; she does it before then and she can’t count it towards next year’s quota.

It was a good day, actually. I…” Mike took a deep breath. “I got a job. A TA for Professor Specter. It’s… yes, Grandma, _that_ Professor Specter. I was going to call and tell you. It’s just a little thing but it’ll look good on my grad school application and, if he likes me enough, I’ll probably be able to stay on next year. I promised I would do better with myself this year and… and it’s not much but it’s a start. I know you are. Thanks, Grams. Love you too.”

Mike went back out to the living feeling much lighter until he found Trevor hunched over the pile of books and papers he’d left on the floor by his bag. He hurried over and took a folder out of the other man’s hands.

“What is all this?” Trevor straightened up and crossed his arms over his bare chest.

“I’ve volunteered as a study aide in the law department,” Mike lied. “This is all the freshman course…work. Whatever you’re thinking, stop. Don’t.” Mike bent over to pick up the mess and walked towards his room to deposit everything on his bed, ignoring the look Trevor was giving him. He turned around to find the brunette standing in his doorway.

“Those looked like test sheets, Mikey,” Trevor said lightly, leaning against the door in a way that elongated his frame, forcing Mike to look away.

“They were study sheets,” Mike insisted, shoving one folder under his bed with his toe. “They’re old tests they use for study sessions.” Trevor looked at him warily for a moment before brightening up.

“Okay then! C’mon, I’ve been waiting for you all night.” Trevor grabbed Mike’s hand and pulled him back into the living room, pushing him towards the couch before going over and rummaging through the side table. “I saved some for when you got back and then I figured we could…”

“No, Trev.” Mike shook his head, Harvey’s voice ringing in his ears. “I’m not doing that anymore.”

“Stop it, Mike. You don’t have practice anymore.”

“All the more reason not to do it,” Mike said loudly, standing up quickly. “It got me into enough trouble already. No, Trevor,” he said more firmly when the other man tried to interrupt. “I told you I was finished with that. I told you I wasn’t taking that chance anymore once school started. One more semester and I’m done. I can’t risk getting tossed on my ass after four years.”

“Yea, yea, okay, Mike. No big thing.” Trevor put the small baggie in his hand back into the drawer. He held up his empty hands for Mike to see before stepping forward and resting them lightly on the blonde’s thin shoulders. “I just wanted to help you relax. Let me help you. Just… let me.”

Mike could feel Trevor’s fingers digging into his shoulders more firmly now, his thumbs moving in small circles that worked their way down and along his collarbones.

“Let me,” Trevor repeated more quietly. Mike shivered slightly as the other man’s words ghosted across his skin. He hadn’t even realized he’d moved closer. He opened his mouth to say something when his phone began to ring again. “Don’t.” Trevor tightened his grip but Mike only pushed him away and hurried to his room, collapsing against the closed door even as the ringing stop.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Jenny was waiting for Mike when he escaped his first class the next day. He wasn’t sure why he thought taking an intro Geology course at 7am was a good idea but he was fairly sure he could blame Trevor in some way. He definitely blamed Trevor for the fact that Jenny was standing in front of him now with red eyes and her hair in a tangled bun. Jenny chewed on her bottom lip as she invited Mike to join her for a coffee and he felt somewhat manipulated as she used his addiction to caffeine against him.

They sat across from each other at a tiny table, Mike’s fingers tapping a nervous rhythm as Jenny poured her heart out. “I don’t understand why she’s never liked me,” Jenny said. Mike bit the inside of his cheek as he stared at his coffee. “Trevor said he’s tried talking to her but she just won’t listen. She just doesn’t think I’m ‘right for him’.” Jenny huffed out a pained laugh.

“I think she’d rather he was dating you.” Mike raised his head at that and Jenny smiled at him sadly. “Not that I’m implying dating you is a bad thing,” she said quickly, “or being gay or… ya know… just…” She took a deep breath and her shoulders sagged under the weight of her misery. “She adores you. Everyone adores you. You’re impossible _not_ to love.”

“It’s not your fault,” Mike said gently. “Trevor’s mom is just cranky. She always has been.”

Jenny pulled a leg up onto her chair, resting her cheek against her knee. “Cranky or not, you’re the one who gets invited to dinner. Not me. Not the girlfriend of six years.” Mike only shrugged in response, drinking his coffee and wincing when he realized it was already cold. “Maybe it would be different if I was dating you.”

“Jenny…” Mike started. Jenny reached out and grabbed his hand, running her thumb across the top.

“Remember that time when we were seventeen and Trevor and I broke up for a few months.” Jenny stared at their joined hands as she spoke with a soft voice.

Mike fought the urge to pull his hand away. “You mean that one time we said we’d never talk about.”

“Oh, Mike,” Jenny smiled up at him and Mike felt something in him break a little. “You’re the one who never wanted to talk about it. I never stopped thinking what if...” Jenny took a deep breath and looked back down at their hands, smile gone. “What if I had chosen you?”

“It’s a little late for that,” Mike said softly. Jenny shook her head as Mike pulled his hand away but he stopped any argument she may have made. “You chose Trevor, Jenny. You always choose Trevor. And he chose you.” He stood up, grabbing his bag and settling the heavy weight across his shoulder. “I have class. I should… You’ll be home tonight?”

“I don’t know.” Jenny’s voice sounded small and Mike had to take a deep breath to stop himself from offering comfort. He could only nod and walk away, cursing himself as he pushed through the crowded café.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The law book from Anderson is a total drag.” Mike dropped himself down in the chair across from Harvey’s desk, stretching his legs out in front of him. He could see Harvey’s amused grin despite the fact that the man hadn’t acknowledged him yet. “And that Walters guy? Total d-bag. How is he editing text books on ethics?”

Harvey finally looked up at that comment, cocking his head to the side. “Did you read the entire stack of books I gave you in one night?” Mike only grinned and settled further down in his seat.

“I would have finished sooner but I ordered a pizza,” Mike said with a satisfied grin. “Speaking of which, have you ever had the cheese _in_ the crust? Because it blew my mind.”

“As adorable as your rambling is, some of us have grownup work to do.” Harvey looked back down at the list stacked in front of him. Mike only snorted and kept talking.

“I found five typos in the Norton Anthology you’re using for the senior course. I probably could have found more but I was distracted.”

“By the pizza?” Harvey couldn’t help himself when it came to encouraging Mike. He glanced back up just in time to see the younger man roll his eyes.

“No.” Mike drew the word out. “By the fact I’m a TA. How did that happen again?”

Harvey looked back up and leaned back in his chair, mimicking Mike’s posture his own, refined way. “You got caught smoking up behind the Psychology building and I had a moment of obvious insanity.”

Mike’s face went dark for a moment as he shifted in his seat. “I wasn’t smoking anything.”

“Mike…”

“No,” Mike interrupted. “I wasn’t. I don’t do that anymore.” Harvey nodded slowly. “I’ve messed up… a lot… but I’m trying to fix that.” Mike turned his gaze to where his hands rested in his lap. He said the next words so quietly Harvey chose to pretend not to hear them, as a courtesy. “You don’t even realize how much this means to me.”

“OK, kid, I believe you. Let’s get one thing straight though,” Harvey said. He paused until Mike looked up at him. “I catch one whiff of pot on you and we’re through. Got it?”

“Yea, Harvey, I got it.” Harvey nodded and straightened up, grabbing his pen so that he could get back to work. He was nearly finished on his notes for the next two days worth of lectures when he realized that Mike was still there, watching him. He looked at him and saw something that made him think things he really shouldn’t about a student.

“Go home, Mike. We have a planning meeting with all of the staff and TAs tomorrow afternoon. If you’re late, you’re fired.”

“You threaten to fire me a lot.” Mike stood up, stretching his arms far over his head. Harvey forced himself to stare at his notes instead of the stripe of skin that was revealed as Mike’s too thin t-shirt slid up his body. “Night, Harvey.”

Harvey took a deep breath after Mike left and shook his head. “So not going there,” he said to himself. He ran a hand through his hair and then got back to work, pushing all thoughts of skinny teaching assistants out of his mind.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trevor was waiting for Mike when he got home, a cold beer in each hand. “I saw you ride up,” he said with a shrug when Mike gave him a curious look. Mike only shrugged off his bag and dropped it near the door next to his sneakers and Trevor’s heavy boots. Trevor handed him the beer and clinked the tops together with a grin. Mike couldn’t help but return the smile as he took a drink before brushing past his friend. He was thinking of leftover pizza when Trevor called out his name.

“Mike, I want to talk to you.” Mike stopped on his way to the kitchen and turned around. Trevor took a deep breath and then a deeper swig of beer before continuing. “I… JennyandIbrokeup.”

Mike stood stunned for a moment. “Slower and with spaces.”

“Jenny and I broke up. Well, we’re taking a break. She came by after her last class this afternoon and grabbed some of her things.” Trevor moved to sit on the couch and Mike dropped in next to him, the old springs groaning as it dipped. “She said she had _things_ to think about.”

“Oh.” Mike stared at the empty television screen on the opposite wall. He could feel Trevor shift as he took another drink and Mike copied. He had nearly emptied the bottle before he spoke again. “How long of a break?”

Trevor laughed darkly. “I don’t know. She just said I wouldn’t have to worry about dinner with my mother this weekend.”

Mike nodded slowly before finishing his beer and reaching forward to place it on the scuffed coffee table. His arm dragged along Trevor’s as he straightened up and he could hear his friend swallow loudly. He pushed himself to his feet and headed towards the little cabinet in the corner. “Drinking game, then?”

Trevor snorted out a laugh as he nodded. His eyes looked less haunted when Mike returned with the bottle of tequila.

“Doctor Who or Republican Debates?”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Mike didn’t want to think about what time it was but they were halfway through their second bottle of tequila when his brain decided to do something very foolish.

“You know,” he said with a deep voice that only came out when he was drunk, “You know, the last time you and Jenny broke up… we fooled around.” The words were out before he registered the plans his tongue had made and he got off the couch quickly, crossing to the other side of the room before he dared to look at his best friend. “Trev…”

“You what?” Trevor seemed oddly calm as he stood up. He walked towards Mike, the blonde man only shaking his head slightly and taking a step forward with his hands up.

“We didn’t actu…” He yelped when Trevor grabbed his upper arms and pushed him back against the wall. He took a deep breath as Trevor pushed in closer and regretted it as the tequila made his head fuzzy. “We never actually had sex.”

“But you fooled around?” Trevor stared Mike down with dark eyes, his brown hair flopping forward on his forehead. Mike nodded. “How many times?”

“I don’t remember,” Mike lied. Trevor only looked at him more harshly, tightening his grip. “Five. Five times.” Mike bit out. “After school when you had detention.”

“You never told me.” Trevor pulled back slightly but his hands stayed locked around Mike’s arms.

“She asked me not to.” Mike licked his lips. “And it’s not like I’ve never kept any secrets for you.” The alcohol coursing through his system was amplifying everything, making the warmth of Trevor’s body heat feel like fire where it pressed against him, making bad go to good as Trevor leaned forward again.

Trevor growled as his fingers dug into Mike’s biceps. “You are my best friend. How could you do that? How could you not tell me?”

“Why didn’t you have sex with her?” Trevor asked, his voice rough enough to cut through Mike. Mike could only shake his head, biting at his lip to keep from answering. “WHY?” Trevor shouted, using his grip on Mike to thump him against the wall again and then wrapping one hand around his face. Mike closed his eyes and tried to quiet the buzzing in his brain. “Mike… why?”

“Because neither of us were you!” The words slipped through and Mike dropped his head back against the wall in submission. His eyes were so tightly closed, he was so lost in his own intoxicated misery, that he didn’t realize Trevor was moving until he felt lips pressing against his.

The kiss was messy as liquor guided the way. Trevor’s lips slid against Mike’s as the other man used his hold on the blonde’s face to encourage his mouth to open. Tongues met and danced around each other, stubble dragging along skin until Mike couldn’t help the loud moan that escaped. He moved against Trevor until their bodies were better lined up and he could find some sort of friction.

Trevor moved the hand from Mike’s face to the back of his head, urging him forward even as the hand on his arm pushed him back. Mike wrapped his loose arm around Trevor’s back, letting his hand slide along the skin just above his jeans as he pulled them together.

This was everything Mike had been trying to ignore. It was everything he had been refusing. And he wanted more.

He slid a knee between Trevor’s and pushed up his hips so that they rubbed together just right. Trevor moaned into his mouth and then threaded his fingers through Mike’s hair. He pulled Mike’s head back and angled it so that he could bite and lick his way up the thinner man’s long neck. Mike groaned against him, one hand tightening on his hip as the other continued to roam under Trevor’s shirt.

“Fuck, Mike,” Trevor moaned into his ear before running his teeth along the curve. “Why couldn’t you let me do this sooner?” Mike could only shake his head, words escaping him as his mind went mercifully blank. The only thoughts he had revolved around the burning need and hard cock he felt pressing against his own. Trevor moved against him, matching his sloppy rhythm as they thrust against each other, layers of cotton doing nothing to distract from the ultimate goal.

Mike whined low in his throat as he could feel himself getting closer. The needy sound made Trevor groan loudly, licking along Mike’s jaw until their lips met again in a bruising kiss. It wasn’t much longer until Mike felt his stomach tense up, his knees locking as his hips pushed forward with more urgency, giving into the thrumming need for moremorenowmore.

“C’mon, Mike,” Trevor whispered against his mouth. “C’mon.” Mike shouted as he came, pressing against Trevor so hard the other man could likely feel his cock pulsing through two pairs of jeans and underwear. It didn’t take much more for Trevor to follow him over the edge. He bit down on Mike’s cloth covered shoulder as he came.

They stood in silence for several minutes before Trevor finally pulled away, a satisfied look on his face. “I should get cleaned up.” He kissed Mike on the cheek and gave his arm one more squeeze before heading towards his room. Mike stood in shock, leaned back against the wall and looked out at the empty room. His eyes fell on one of Jenny’s sweaters that had been tossed haphazardly over the couch. He stared at it, the taste of Trevor still fresh in his mouth, and it was all he could do to make it to his bathroom in time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Harvey had to push past several students to get into the main office of the Law department. The department secretary greeted him with an eyeroll. “Donna, I need the…” The red hair handed over a folder without looking away from her computer. “Also, I didn’t have a chance to…” Donna held up a large cup of coffee, hot and black. “Marry me?”

“Took care of that too,” Donna said with a smirk, settling back in her chair. “We’ve been married for the last seven years.”

“Excellent.” Harvey smiled. He was about to walk away when she called after him.

“By the way, there’s a lost puppy in your office.” Harvey turned back with a questioning look but Donna only cocked an eyebrow and shooed him away. He walked into his office slowly, finding Mike Ross sitting in the chair in front of his desk staring out the window. He stood behind the chair for a moment before speaking.

“Why aren’t you in class?” Mike jumped, nearly falling from the seat. He turned and glared at Harvey who only grinned back at him before schooling his features into a more stern look. “Seriously though, I pulled your schedule,” he continued, moving to the other side of the desk to take his seat. “You have class this morning. Something about literature.”

“Great text book in that one,” Mike said, sitting up more. “We’re starting the semester looking at love in science… fiction…” He paused as Harvey shook his head.

“Did I accidentally make you think I cared? I just wanted to know why you’re here and not there.” Harvey set the folder Donna had given him onto the desk and looked at Mike expectantly. When no answer seemed forthcoming, he changed subjects. “I have a meeting with a student in a few minutes. If you think you can sit in the corner and be invisible then you can stay. Otherwise, get out of my office.”

____________________________________

The student, a girl who was trying to transfer classes and whom Harvey had refused to accommodate, had just closed the door when Mike popped out of his seat, half hidden by a filing cabinet.

“She seemed nice,” he said as he moved to the chair she had recently vacated. “I don’t understand why you couldn’t switch her to the afternoon lecture.”

Harvey sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose for a moment before answering. “Because that lecture is nearly at capacity and her reasoning wasn’t good enough for me. Also, no matter how ‘nice’ she may have seemed, I don’t get emotionally attached to the students.”

“Why not?”

 

“I’d explain it to you but then I’d have to care about you.” Harvey smirked at Mike’s hurt face. “Speaking of not caring about you… How many more classes are you skipping today?” Mike bobbled his head back and forth.

“Umm… If I say all of them, am I fired?” Harvey sighed and Mike could only shrug in response.

The older man thought for a moment before reaching into his desk, pulling out a thick folder and handing it over to Mike along with a highlighter. “If you’re going to be bothering me all day then you can at least do some work. These are essay responses to this week’s homework for the freshman class. You’ve already read the grading syllabus.” Mike grinned as he took the marker and papers, settling back in his chair to start reading.

Harvey surreptitiously watched Mike work for several minutes before he started on his own stack of grading. Mike held the highlighter in his mouth, moving it around with his tongue as he worked. Harvey thought it was far more distracting than it probably should be. He was about to bite his tongue in half to keep from making a comment when the door to his office opened.

Jessica Pearson, head of the Law and Ethics department, stood in opening, hand on hip. “Harvey.” The man stood quickly, skirting his desk to follow her out into the hallways without question. He glanced back and saw Mike trying to crane his neck watching them. When he turned back around he found Jessica stopped in front of him with an amused look on her face.

“He’s my new TA,” Harvey offered.

Jessica only smiled more. “Of course he is, Harvey.” Harvey grimaced but chose not to retort. “I am here for a specific reason,” Jessica continued, “Not just to get look at Harvey Specter Jr. I wanted to tell you that I got a call from the DA’s office. About Cameron.”

“A, no one is another me. B, I don’t care about Cameron anymore.” Harvey crossed his arms over his chest and liked his chin in a show of defiance. Jessica simply nodded.

“If you insist,” she said, “but I thought you’d at least like to know he’s getting out of jail soon.”

This got Harvey’s attention and his brain rolled through a hundred questions. “How? It’s not even been five years. His sentence was for fifteen.”

“Yes, and the prisons are overcrowded. He’s a nonviolent offender who has been on his very best behavior. Plus…” Jessica held up her hand to stop Harvey’s oncoming rant. “Plus he has a lot of friends on the parole board.”

Harvey clenched his jaw, staring past Jessica as he got control on his emotions. “Nothing to do with me,” he said blandly. “I don’t care about Cameron anymore.”

“Harvey…”

“Jessica.” Harvey looked at her. “Cameron Dennis screwed me. He screwed the whole system. But… if the system thinks he’s served his time then who am I to argue?” With that he walked away, storming back into his office and closing the door firmly.

He turned around to find Mike staring at him. “Damnit,” Harvey sighed. He went to his chair and sank into it, rubbing the ache out of his jaw. All the while Mike watched him without a word. He found himself respecting the kid’s discretion as he was so obviously chomping at the bit to ask questions. It would have been endearing if Harvey allowed himself such things.

“Get to work,” he said gruffly, turning to the next page in his grading book and settling more comfortably in his seat. He glanced up to see Mike’s concerned look before the other man returned his focus to the papers in his lap.

\---------------------------------------------------

Mike fought the urge to fidget as he sat at the large conference table surrounded by all of the Law professors and their TAs. Harvey, seated next to him, would occasionally kick his foot under the table if he started to flip his pencil around his fingers. He was on the verge of snapping as Kyle, Louis’ TA, droned on and on about a 300 level class, when his phone rang.

“Protocol in a meeting is to put your phone on silent.” Harvey looked at him sternly. Mike fumbled the phone out of his pocket. “If it does ring, you answer it. _Not_ in here.” Mike nodded and took the phone to the hall.

“Hello? What? Tre… Trevor, stop.” Mike walked further down the hall. “What is going on? Wh… Why are you at the Port Authority?”

Three hours later Mike found himself on the couch, a freshly showered Trevor dropping down beside him.

“I can’t believe you are such an idiot.” Mike tossed down the book he had been reading and turned to face his friend. “Bus hopping? Seriously?”

“I was drunk,” Trevor shrugged. His hair was dripping down his neck as he spoke.

“At 2 in the afternoon, Trevor?” Mike clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm to help stay focused. “I realize you’re probably going to use your ‘it’s Friday’ excuse but… really?”

Trevor only shrugged again. He was starring down at his hands in his lap. “I was sitting here and thinking about all of the mess with you and with Jenny and I just… I don’t want to lose you too.” He looked up at Mike then and Mike felt all of his resolve crumbling in the face of his best friend. “Anyways,” Trevor added, “It was just bus hopping. It’s not like anyone could get hurt.”

“That,” Mike stood up and pointed at Trevor, “that is word for word your argument before I got cheating on your math test in third grade.”

“Goddamn memory.” Trevor looked up at Mike and smiled. A drop of water made its way down the length of his neck, pooling in the dip of his clavicle and distracting Mike completely. He stood in front of his friend trying to remind himself that he was still upset with the other man. Trevor could obviously tell where his mind had wandered because the brunette ran a hand through his wet hair and then down his chest.

Mike didn’t think of anything or anyone as he stepped forward, leaning down into Trevor, pressing him backwards against the couch. He held his shoulders down and he stuck out his tongue and ran it along the path the water droplet had previously taken. Trevor shivered beneath him, reaching up to pull him closer. Mike gave in, climbing onto the couch so that his knees settled on either side of Trevor’s body.

This kiss wasn’t as hurried as the last. It was a slow build up, soft, deep kisses getting bolder as they went along. Trevor kept his hands on Mike’s hips, encouraging him as he starting gently rocking. Mike was just starting to press down harder when he heard the sound of high heels on the tiles just outside their door. He pulled back slightly and then was off the couch when the sound of keys in the doorknob cut through their heavy breathing. Trevor’s eyes flashed back and forth and he stood up, heading towards the door as Mike headed for the kitchen.

He rested his forehead against one of the cabinets as he listened to the couple in the other room.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were staying at Monica’s,” Trevor asked in a rough voice.

Jenny’s voice was softer. “I wanted to see you, to talk to you.”

“Jen…”

“Why are you so flushed?” Mike held his breath as he felt like his head was going to explode. “Are you smoking again? After the other night? You said you’d stop.”

“And you said you wanted space.”

Mike groaned at the accusing tone in Trevor’s voice. His friend had always been adept at deflecting anyone else’s anger and accusations back at them. The worst part was Mike felt that _he_ was the one Jenny should really be angry with. He nearly bit through his lip when the apartment door slammed shut.

“Mike.” Trevor’s voice sounded too gentle to Mike’s ears when the other man joined him the kitchen. He grimaced when he felt lips press against his neck and jerked away. The other man looked at him with confusion on his face as he stepped towards Mike only to have Mike back away again.

“I can’t…” Mike shook his head. “I can’t do this. It isn’t right. It isn’t fair… to any of us.” Mike pushed past Trevor into the open living room. “You belong with Jenny,” he said as he went towards the door and quickly slipped his shoes on. “Jenny belongs with you. And I… I’m not sure where I belong anymore. It’s not here though. Not right now.” Mike grabbed his bag and walked out, refusing to look back.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fridays were always the worst for Harvey, with its late lectures and a week’s worth of assignments waiting to be graded. He had just settled down at his desk to get to work when he heard someone come into the main office. Looking up, he saw Mike walking towards him through the open door.

“I know.” Mike held up his hands before Harvey could say anything. “I know you don’t have a heart and you don’t care about anyone but yourself and probably Donna because she does all of your typing but I just…” Mike looked down, dejected, and it hurt Harvey to just look at him. “My… roommate… and I, we had a fight. I know I can’t stay here or anything but I wasn’t sure where else to go.”

Harvey watched as Mike pulled at a string at the bottom of his shirt. The young man’s shoulders were slumped forward, his entire body language that of someone looking to disappear. He could totally understand Donna’s “puppy” analogy at that moment because Mike looked like a puppy that had been kicked one too many times. Harvey wasn’t sure what he was thinking but he knew Jessica would never let him live the next moment down.

“For the record, I’m making this offer not because I’m concerned for your well being but, rather, because I’m concerned for my own and I really hate grading essays.” Harvey stood up and started stacking up the papers he had been planning to work on. “Also, no one likes a homeless TA.”

He looked up to find Mike starring at him incredulously. Harvey just rolled his eyes and pushed all of his things into his briefcase. “Come on, rookie,” he said, moving around to guide Mike back out the door. “I’ve got a couch with your name on it.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Harvey watched Mike as the other man walked into his apartment. The silent young man who had sat beside him in the car seemed to unfold when surrounded by age-smoothed wood floors and a wall full of vinyl. He wandered over and ran a thing finger along one of the shelves holding Harvey’s DVD collection while the brunet slipped off his shoes and tossed his keys onto the small table near the door. The sharp clanging sound they made when they hit ceramic bowl the held his pocket change drew Mike’s eyes to him.

“You don’t have anything released within the last ten years,” the blond said, turning around quickly. Harvey watched as he went to cross his arms and then stopped, shoving his hands into his pockets instead. Harvey could only shrug as he moved over to set his briefcase onto the table near the open kitchen.

“I prefer the classics.” Mike scoffed and came to stand across the table from him.

“Things don’t have to be old to be worth your time.” The comment made Harvey glance up at Mike but the other man was staring down at the table as if he was trying to read something in the grain of the wood.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Harvey said as he popped open his briefcase and set one folder worth of essays in front of Mike. “Sit down and earn your keep, kid.” The gruffness of his voice seemed enough to propel the student into action. Mike sat quickly, taking the seat next to Harvey instead of the one opposite him, close enough that Harvey could hear each time he took an extra deep breath.

Harvey glanced over at him as they worked together in silence, watching his pale blue eyes flit across the page. Mike only got through one paper for every three of Harvey’s and it made the older man curious. He started looking closer, observing the way Mike chewed on his bottom lip until it was red and swollen and the way his eyes would occasionally skid past the paper to stare off across the table.

“Okay,” Harvey said finally, dropping his pen and rubbing his face for a moment. “You are totally useless to me right now.” Mike looked up and Harvey felt almost bad for his abrupt words. “Obviously, something is bothering you. Let’s get it out of the way so we can actually accomplish something tonight.”

“It’s nothing,” Mike said with a shrug. He ran a hand through his blond hair, leaving it sticking up more than usual. Harvey found himself having to fight back the urge to flatten it.

“Right.” He grabbed the paper from in front of Mike and read it for a moment. “Care to tell me which German philosopher’s thesis on the concept of the greater good this student tried to cite to back their argument?”

“Uh… Schopenhauer?” Mike crossed his arms on top of the table and let his head fall down to rest on them.

“Kant,” Harvey said. He set the paper on top of the stack he was grading and pushed the entire pile aside. “OK, Soap Opera, out with it.”

“It’s nothing,” Mike mumbled.

“If it’s nothing then you can get out of my apartment and go back to your own.” Harvey leaned back in his chair. He slowly undid the cuffs of his shirt and rolled both up to his elbows in what he considered a masterful show of patience. When the other man didn’t say anything he reached out and kicked at his foot. “Mike…”

The blond sighed through his nose before straightening up and looking Harvey in the eye. “I live with my two best friends and they broke up and now I’m stuck in the middle because I care about both of them but I can’t be around either of them because I got to third base with Jenny when we were teenagers and I fooled around with Trevor the other night and now there’s all this tension there that I cannot deal with and oh my God I just told you I messed around with my very male roommate. Let’s pretend this never happened.” Mike dropped his head again, this time moving his arms so his forehead thumped on the table. Harvey opened and closed his mouth several times before clearing his throat.

“Is Trevor the friend who left you at the mercy of the campus PD?” Mike’s head moved minutely in what Harvey could only assume was a nod. “And I’m going to guess that Trevor is also the one who called you in the middle of the planning meeting this afternoon.” Another nod, this one more definite. “Just my opinion, rookie, but this guy seems like he’s poison.”

“I couldn’t just turn my back on him when he needed help. Trevor’s my oldest friend,” Mike said firmly, sitting up and meeting Harvey’s eye with only the hint of a blush on his cheeks. Harvey chose to ignore the way it made his eyes more intense and focused on the root of the problem as he saw it.

“Oldest doesn’t mean best, Mike. Isn’t that what you tried telling me about my movie collection?” Mike gaped at him.

“You can’t… I wasn’t… That’s unfair.”

“Lawyer.” Harvey pointed at himself. “Well,” he corrected, “Retired-lawyer-turned-law-professor.”

“This isn’t actually helping, you know. I’m already thinking that Trevor’s a dick right now but that doesn’t mean I’ll still be mad in the morning.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Harvey pushed. Mike stood up and walked away for a moment before returning to the table and leaning over his chair.

“The problem is that this is a lose-lose situation. If they don’t get back together then I’ll lose one or both because Trevor would never be OK with me spending time with Jenny knowing that we got together in High School and if I choose Jenny then at some point it’ll come out that I hooked up with Trevor and then that’s done. If they _do_ make up, like they always do, then things are going to be so awkward I’m not sure how to move past it.” Mike stared at Harvey and the older man stared right back, relaxing back in his seat further.  
“So you’re afraid of losing your friends no matter what happens? Okay. I get that. What I’m saying is try to create a situation where that’s not even a possibility. Kobayashi Maru.” Harvey straightened up in his chair and was reaching for his pen when Mike shook his head.

“Koba-what now?” Harvey looked back up at him.

“Star Trek. Captain Kirk. He wins a no-win situation by rewriting the rules.” Harvey pulled his stack of papers back in front of him.

“You’re a Trekkie,” Mike said with a wide grin. He sat back down, angled towards Harvey so that his knee bumped the older man’s thigh. Harvey turned and pointed at the blond with his pen.

“Hey, Captain Kirk is the man. I don’t want to hear another word about it.” Harvey glared at Mike for a moment. “Now enough with your high school drama club problems, let’s get some work done.” He turned away but not before he saw the smirk cross Mike’s face.

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike awoke with the suddenness associated with being somewhere unfamiliar. It took him a minute to push past the dream he had been in, full of broad shoulders, dark hair, and eyes that crinkled in delight, to focus on his immediate surroundings. It was still dark outside and the old apartment was quiet with only the gentle hum of a fan in the other room keeping it from being unbearably silent. He kicked away the thin blanket Harvey had given him the prior evening and stood slowly, reorienting himself before heading towards the bathroom.

He quickly relieved himself and splashed water on his face. It was obviously too early to be awake so he was headed back to the couch when he noticed that the door to Harvey’s bedroom was partially open. Mike allowed himself thirty seconds of hesitation before stepping forward and peeking in, feeling very much like he was somewhere he shouldn’t be.

 

Harvey slept on his back and, apparently, was too warm to wear anything more than boxers that night. A thin slip of sheet was wound around one leg but the rest of his body was uncovered, lit up by the full moon that was peeking over the neighboring building.

Mike had a hard time rectifying _this_ Harvey with the one who had stayed up until 2 AM grading essays and arguing with Mike over the merits of remaking Hollywood classics. Sleep smoothed away the lines that crisscrossed Harvey’s forehead, leaving him looking young and free of the weight he always seemed to carry during the daylight hours. Watching him like this, Mike wondered if this was the Harvey that was kept behind a façade of not caring and stubborn adherence to a list of personal rules Mike could never fully comprehend.

The brunet in the bed moved slightly, letting out a quiet sound that had Mike backing away from the door as quickly as possible lest he be found creeping around. He felt somewhat like an intruder as he padded back into the living room. The wood floors felt cool under his feet and he stood for a long while next to the couch, lost in a middle of the night fuzziness, staring at the wall of movies and records that Harvey lovingly collected.

He walked over to the wall and pulled out the first record at eye level and held it up to the pale light coming through the tall windows. “Djangology…” he read in a whisper before slipping it back into place. He pulled out another and another and another until he had reached the end of the row. The records weren’t in any sense of order, not by artist or title or release date, and the thought itched at the back of Mike’s mind.

Harvey found him in the morning, bleary eyed and with several paper cuts, slipping the last record back into place. The older man stood behind the couch, hands in the pockets of a pair of pajama pants Mike couldn’t help but remember he _wasn’t_ wearing last night, looking at him with a sort of amused curiosity.

“Wha’cha doin’?” Harvey asked, rocking back and forth on his feet slightly. Mike groaned in response, pushing himself off of the hard floor and wiping his hands on the sweatpants that Harvey had lent him.

“You do realize that there is no rhyme or reason to your record collection, right?” he asked, hitching up the pants slightly. Harvey only shrugged. “It’s maddening. How do you even find what you want?”

“I prefer it this way,” Harvey said, gesturing towards the shelves. “It’s like… a playlist set on ‘shuffle’ only this playlist has _soul_.”

“You have no soul,” Mike muttered to himself, slipping one hand under his shirt to scratch at his stomach. He looks up to find Harvey staring at him and feels suddenly shy, remembering having seen the other man at his most vulnerable. “Right, so… I should probably start looking for a new place. Something cheap.”

Harvey tilted his head slightly before nodding. “Breakfast first, rookie. Can’t have you fall down dead while you trudge around the city.”

“It almost sounds like you care about me.” Mike grinned at Harvey. The other man only gave him a baleful look before turning and heading towards the kitchen. Mike hurried after him when he heard the word “coffee” being muttered. He stood off to the side, watching Harvey move around his kitchen with purpose inured from countless mornings on his own. First the coffee maker was filled and programmed and then the toaster was filled with bagel halves. Eggs and thick-sliced ham sat in adjoining pans on the stove and were happily sizzling away by the time the coffee was finished.

“Before you make any sarcastic comments,” Harvey said randomly, moving around with plates and grinding pepper, “I’m only doing this because I don’t want to have to hire a new TA when you faint onto a subway rail and electrocute yourself.” Mike opened his mouth to interject but Harvey cut him off. “Do we need to have that talk about you interrupting me again?” Mike shook his head quickly. “Good. Also, if anyone asks, this never happened.”

Mike nodded quickly. “Don’t worry, Harvey. I’ll always respect you in the morning.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took nearly a week for Mike to find a small studio apartment near the campus that he could afford. Nearly a week of sitting around Harvey’s small table working on homework and grading essays. Nearly a week of breakfasts that Harvey pretended he didn’t enjoy making before both men rushed off, trying to act as if nothing had changed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

“I figured I’d just skip Geology this morning and…”

“Wait.” Harvey grabbed Mike’s arm and turned him around in the middle of the campus commons. “You don’t just tell a teacher that you’re planning on skipping class.”

“But it’s you.” Mike knotted his eyebrows together for a moment. Harvey sighed and started walking again. Mike watched him for a moment before hurrying to catch up. “Anyway, as I was saying, I don’t have too much that’s _mine_ and I really don’t feel like talking to either of them about it yet so I want to go over when they should both be in class, just in case. It’ll take a couple trips but I should be able to finish in time.”

“Fair enough,” Harvey said, not looking at the student. “Just don’t tell me about it.” Mike nodded, fighting back a grin as he matched Harvey’s stride. The younger man had been leaving his bike locked up outside the building housing Harvey’s office each evening before going home with him and they had quickly gotten into a routine of Mike accompanying the professor to his office before they went their separate ways. He was about to comment on the fact he would have to start making his own breakfast again when Harvey stopped up short.

“Ummm…” Mike glanced at Harvey and then followed his eyes to rest on the gray haired man standing in front of the Law Building with his hands in the pockets of what appeared to be very expensive trousers. Harvey let out a shaky breath and Mike felt something deep inside his stomach clench at the sound. The mystery man looked up then, spotting the pair of them and quickly walking over with a smile on his face that reminded Mike very much of a shark.

“Harvey!” the man said with a suave swagger. Mike held back, watching Harvey’s face as the other man slipped off his sunglasses.

“Cameron,” Harvey said in a neutral tone. The other man’s smile didn’t falter.

“Wow,” he said, running his eyes down Harvey quickly. “It’s been too damn long.” Harvey’s mouth twitched a bit before he gestured towards Mike.

“Cameron, this is Mike, my new teaching assistant. Mike, Cameron.” Mike held out his hand on reflex, squeezing a bit harder than necessary, put on edge by the sudden change in Harvey’s demeanor.

“Law student?” Cameron asked. Mike nodded, glancing at Harvey as he did so. “Guess that makes you _his_ Harvey.”

“I… Sorry?” Cameron turned his toothy smile back on Harvey.

“Harvey was my… associate,” he said in an almost wistful tone. “Best ADA to come up since, well, me. I taught him everything he knows.” Mike couldn’t help the way his eyes moved between the two men, taking in Cameron’s nonchalant stance and Harvey’s more ridged one.

“Cameron is the one who taught me it’s not about caring.” Harvey put his sunglasses back on and slid his hands into the pocket of his khakis. There was an entire conversation going on between the two men that Mike wasn’t privy to and he could feel the ball in his stomach wind itself tighter.

“We should do lunch,” Cameron insisted. “Or dinner. That’s even better. You could at least do that for me, Harv, after all this time.” Mike could see the tendons in Harvey’s neck flex as the other man clenched his jaw for a moment before answering.

“Sure. How about eight o’clock?” Harvey’s voice sounded strained as he pasted on a smile. Cameron’s responding smirk was more enthusiastic.

“That’s my boy.” With that comment, Cameron walked away, a faint whistle flitting back to where Mike stood watching Harvey watch Cameron.

“Har…”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Mike closed his mouth with a snap. Harvey stretched his neck before facing him. “Go move, kid.”

Mike found himself hurrying after Harvey into the building, at his heels as the other man strode past teachers and students alike without a backwards glance. He didn’t stop until he reached Donna’s desk and the other man was already crossing the threshold to his office.

“What did you do now?” the red head asked without looking away from her computer.

“I… I didn’t…” Mike gaped down at her before glancing back up at Harvey’s shut door. He leaned across the desk to whisper conspiratorially. “Do you know anyone named Cameron?”

“Cameron Dennis.” Mike straightened up and turned around to find himself face to face with Jessica. Her face was hard as she stared down at him. “Grey hair? Obviously more money then sense? Too many teeth?” Mike nodded quickly. “Cameron Dennis. He’s the former District Attorney.”

“ _That’s_ why he was so familiar,” Mike said, smacking himself in the head. “Cameron Dennis was sentenced to fifteen years in a minimum security federal prison for…”

“Burying evidence.” Jessica nodded grimly.

“And Harvey worked for him?”

“ _Harvey_ is the reason Cameron was sent to jail in the first place.” Donna stood up and moved around her desk to join the other two. “When he found out what was going on…”

“Harvey turned him in.” Jessica finished.

“But…” Mike rubbed at the back of his neck as he thought. “If Harvey is the reason he was sent to jail, why did he want to meet him for dinner?”

“Harvey and Cameron have… history,” Donna said delicately.

“Harvey does not like people talking about him like squawking hens.” Mike jumped when he realized the man in question was glaring at them from his doorway. Jessica and Donna both moved towards the brunet, forcing him back into the office and leaving Mike standing next to Donna’s desk at a loss.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mike?”

Mike looked up and found Trevor standing in the doorway of what was about to become his old room. He glanced down at his watch and then back up at the dark haired man who was staring at him in confusion.

“Trev, hey, right…” Mike ran a hand through his hair as he straightened up from where he’d been bent over trying to reach one last bit of paper from under his bed. Trevor looked around the room, taking in the empty dresser top that usually held a picture of Mike’s parents and his grandma.

“I didn’t want this,” Trevor said softly. Mike walked forward for a step before stopping himself from reaching out for his friend.

“I know, dude, it’s not… It’s not you. I mean, it sorta is, but it’s mostly me. I just…” Mike shrugged and dropped down to his unmade bed. “I fucked up. I _am_ fucked up.”

Trevor moved to sit next to him, pressed close, hip to hip. Mike chose to blame it on the small bed and swallowed past the lump in his throat as he continued.

“I’ve been messed up for too long, I guess. I just need some space.” Trevor laughed at that.

“Space? That’s all anyone seems to need from me anymore.” Mike grabbed at the other man’s wrist when he moved to stand up.

“That’s not what I mean,” he insisted. He reached up and tilted Trevor’s head until brown eyes met blue. “I need my own place. I need to grow up. And I can’t do that… _wont’_ do that, if I have you as my safety net.”

“I don’t want you to leave me.” Trevor’s words were so soft that it took Mike a moment to process them. The other man was staring at him with such an open expression that it hurt to look at him.

“God, Trev, don’t…” A buzzing against Mike’s hip stopped his words before he could say anything foolish. Trevor wiggled beside him, pulling out his phone and checking the caller ID. The smile that chased away all of the shadows Mike caused made the blonde ache inside.

“Hey, Jenny.” Trevor stood up and wandered out into the living room, leaving Mike with the remnants of his life scattered around him.

“Yup,” he sighed to himself, looking around at the empty walls. “Right…”

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Harvey was nervously tapping his fingers along his water glass when he heard Cameron’s voice cut through the din of the busy restaurant. The older man smiled at him as he sat down across the table. It was enough to set Harvey’s teeth on edge.

“Harvey, Harvey, Harvey.” Cameron unbuttoned his jacket slowly as his eyes moved over Harvey’s face. “It really has been too long.”

“Not as long as it should have been,” Harvey countered with a bland expression. Cameron spread his hands wide in front of him.

“I can behave well when properly motivated,” he said with a wink. Harvey stared down at his glass as the minutes stretched. “Harvey…”

“Why are you here, Cameron?” The brunet looked up, interrupting his former mentor.

“I’d heard rumors of your having stopped practicing. I wanted to see if there was any fact to them.”

“Of course there is,” Harvey said, keeping his voice low. “Who wants a lawyer they can’t trust?”

“You didn’t…”

“No, Cameron, I didn’t. You did. But I’m still the one who saw every offer I had from every respectable firm in the city disappear.” Harvey rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Jessica is the only one who still stood by my side once the dust settled.”

“I never intended that to happen.” Cameron reached out for Harvey’s hand where it rested on the table but the other man stood up quickly.

“I know, Cameron,” he said softly. “But it did. One more thing you ruined.” Harvey stood straighter, holding his head high. “I can’t do this, Cam. I thought we’d have dinner, I’d let you apologize, and then I could wash my hands of you. Turns out I wasn’t hungry after all.”

\---------------------------------------------------------

Mike ran his finger along the top of his glass, watching morosely as the lights that flickered above the dance floor behind him reflected in the drink in bursts of color. He’d spent the entire evening organizing his new place, puttering around with his meager belongings, until the solitude finally began to wear at him. It didn’t take long for him to decide to drown himself in liquor and, as his usual hangout held too much of a chance of bumping into someone he knew, he head for The Wall. The testosterone was thick in the air as he pushed through the front door and it didn’t help his current state of being flustered and frustrated.

“Ross? Mike Ross?” The blonde looked up to find himself face to face with blue eyes and curly brown hair that flopped onto a familiar face.

“Sorry, I…” The other man’s smile broadened, bringing to attention his very pink lips and stubble covered jaw.

“Kyle Durant,” he said, holding out his hand for Mike to shake. “I’m Professor Litt’s TA.”

“Right, yea, sorry.” Mike shook his hand with a solid pump and turned in his seat to face Kyle more directly. “I’m crap at names and faces sometimes.”

“Do most of those times involve alcohol?” Kyle laughed before gesturing to the bartender for a refill on the tall pilsner in his hand. He sat down on the stool next to Mike, twining his legs around it in a way that brought all of Mike’s attention to the fact that the other man’s pants were fitted snugly across his thighs.

“I just get distracted,” Mike said with a shrug. He watched as Kyle turned to pay for his drink, his shirt pulling up slightly in the back as he stretched across the bar. Mike was far from drunk but he was happily numbed enough to appreciate the offered stretch of skin.

He looked back up to find Kyle’s eyes on him. The other man ran the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip and Mike couldn’t help but track the movement.

“Is this the point where I ask if you come here often?” Kyle asked, leaning forward so that his words didn’t have to be shouted over the noisy club music. His thigh brushed against Mike knee in a way that was obvious and contrived but Mike didn’t care at that point.

“You could,” Mike said, running his finger along the rim of his glass again. “Or you could just finish your beer so we can get out of here.”

They end up back at his place, Kyle muttering against his lips about a roommate and privacy, and Mike has never been so happy for the shitty little bed that came with the apartment as he was at that moment, pushing Kyle down onto it. The other man watched with hungry eyes as Mike pulled off his t-shirt before stripping out of his own, both shirts ending up tangled together on the floor. Kyle reached out and grabbed the bulge growing in Mike’s jeans, rocking his palm against it until Mike moaned and grabbed at his wrist.

“No offense,” Mike said, pulling Kyle’s hand away, “but I am way too horny for foreplay.”

“Thank fuck,” Kyle said. He leaned back on the bed, unbuttoning his trousers and slipping them down his legs, eyes on Mike the whole time. Mike reciprocated, shuffling out of his jeans and boxers before climbing onto the bed to straddle the other man. Both men groaned as Mike ground his hips down into Kyle’s.

“Top or bottom?” Mike asked with a shaky voice. Kyle shuddered beneath him.

“Bottom, oh god, please.” Mike’s hips snapped forward at the begging tone from the other man.   
He nodded, not trusting himself for words, before he moved off to fetch the necessary supplies from the tiny table next to his bed. Kyle rolled over, scooting up the bed slightly until he could grab a pillow to slide under his chest, his ass held high and inviting.

“Yea, ok, this totally works,” Mike muttered to himself. He moved behind the other man and ran one hand down his flank, his nails trailing along the skin, as he popped the cap on the lube. Kyle moaned beneath him as he ran one finger across his ass, again and again. His head down, back bowed, Mike found himself thinking of another dark-haired man for a moment before he pushed that mental image away. He pressed one long finger into Kyle, opening him up with quick, efficient strokes, until he could fit in another and then a third.

He pulled them out and condom was with him lining up his cock with the other man’s ass before Kyle could even complain at the loss. It should have been slower, he should have at least given a warning, but when he thrust in he was met with so much tightness that he couldn’t think straight. Kyle pushed back against him, rolling his hips slightly as he got used to the intrusion. Mike thrust forward slowly a few times before giving in to Kyle’s urging and adjusting his stance on his knees so that he could move quicker, his hips slamming into the other man’s ass.

Kyle moaned nonsense underneath him as their sweaty bodies moved together. Mike reached up, as he felt the orgasm growing, and twisted his fingers into the other man’s curly hair, using his grip to pull him up and against him. He kept his fingers where they were, tugging just a little too hard with each thrust, and wrapped his other hand around Kyle’s cock. It was quick work at that angle to get them both off, Mike following Kyle over the edge with a moan that started to form a name.

“H…ell… fuck,” he groaned, milking the last of Kyle’s orgasm from him before pulling back. He sat back on his heels as Kyle fell forward and wiped his hand on the sheet by his knee.

“Good job, Ross,” Kyle said after several minutes of catching his breath. Mike only let out a quiet laugh, wincing as he slipped off the condom and tossed it towards the trash before dropping down next to Kyle. He was already starting to doze off when the other man pushed himself to his feet and started to put himself back together.

Mike couldn’t find it in himself to care as the front closed with a snap, letting the bliss and alcohol tip him into unconsciousness before the loneliness set in again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Mike took a deep breath before pushing open the door leading to Harvey’s office. He found the older man seated behind his desk, tie loosened to reveal a sliver of skin at his open collar. Harvey didn’t even look up as Mike maneuvered himself into the chair opposite him.

“Harvey…” Mike paused, unsure how to continue.

“Mike.” Harvey didn’t take his eyes off of the stack of papers he was working through. The tone of his voice made Mike let out an exasperated sigh.

“Damnit, Harvey, would you stop it?” Harvey looked up then, eyes wide. Mike found himself tripping over his words. “It’s just… you’ve just… I…”

“Spit it out, kid.” Harvey set down his pen and leaned forward, elbows on the edge of the desk.

“You’re a dick.” Mike slapped both hands over his mouth. Harvey looked at him with surprise that quickly morphed into a smirk.

“Is that so?” The older man sat back in his chair. Mike nodded despite himself and had to fight back the urge to crawl under the desk and disappear. “Tell me more.”

“I just meant…” Mike dropped his hands. “I just meant you’ve been a dick lately. To everyone. You’ve been extra douchy in class and every one of your students I’ve had study sessions with is complaining.” Harvey’s smirk dropped away as he clenched his jaw.

“I hardly think…”

“It’s because of Cameron, isn’t it? For the last month or so you’ve been completely shut off from things like silly human emotions and before Cameron showed up you were a lot more relaxed.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Mike.” Harvey straightened up and grabbed his pen as if to continue grading. Mike reached out and placed his hand over the other man’s.

“Harvey…” Mike waited until Harvey let go of the pen and released his hand, reaching up to adjust the strap on his bag. “Look… It’s Friday, you have a stack of midterms a mile high to be graded, and I just happen to have a change of clothes handy. Am I coming over or what?”

The brunet looked up and sighed at Mike before crinkling his nose and half nodding.

“Alright, rookie. You win this time.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Harvey sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees. He could hear the quiet creak of the couch in the other room as Mike shifted in his sleep.

“Fucked,” Harvey said quietly, running a hand through his hair before dropping back onto the bed. “So, so fucked.” His brain refused to stop whirling around thoughts of the younger man. The way he twirled a pencil around his fingers when he was bored or the way his eyes always seemed to drift to Harvey’s mouth as they chatted over pizza the prior evening. He groaned as his mind focused on Mike’s mouth and the way it always seemed so red and wet and…

“No,” Harvey growled, sitting back up. He glared at the growing hard on in his lap for a moment before trying to force himself to think of anything but pale skin and blue eyes. He considered himself successful enough to stand up, heading out to the kitchen for a glass of water before he remembered his normally sleep attire was a pair of thin boxers.

It was Mike who reminded him.

“Harvey?” The other man sat up when he heard Harvey walk through the living room and the way his eyes tracked down Harvey’s bare chest made the professor’s breath catch in his throat.

“I…” Harvey cleared his throat, drawing Mike’s attention back up to his face. “I just needed a glass of water.”

“Right,” Mike said slowly. Harvey wanted to groan as the blonde’s tongue sneaked out to wet his lips. Mike was wearing a thin tank top with a pair of pajama pants that had slipped down on his hips slightly when he sat up. The strip of skin that was revealed between the two made Harvey question his sanity in allowing the younger man to stay the night. It was the look Mike gave him as he stood up that tipped him over the edge.

“Mike.” Harvey breathed the man’s name out as he took a step towards him.

“Don’t, Harvey, please.” Mike took another step forward, and another, until he rounded the couch and stood well within Harvey’s personal space. “Don’t pretend this isn’t happening.”

“It isn’t,” Harvey said, shaking his head. Mike glanced down at the floor, his head dropping forward. He looked back up at Harvey through his eyelashes as he had so many other times they’d worked side by side.

“Yea, it is.” Harvey’s response was knocked out of him when Mike reached up and pushed on his shoulders, forcing him against the wall behind him as the other man stepped forward. Mike’s entire body felt fevered where it pressed up against Harvey’s, his lips soft and wet as he kissed him. His hands moved across Harvey’s shoulders as the kiss deepened. One came up to wrap around the back of his neck while the other slid down his arm to grasp at his bicep.

“God, Harvey,” Mike said in a shaky voice as he moved from his mouth to work along his jaw. “You have no _idea_ how much I’ve wanted this.”

“Tell me.” Harvey’s voice was low and steady and Mike looked up at him with wide eyes. Harvey pushed his hips forward slightly and grinned as Mike’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment at the sensation of their erections rubbing together. “You want this so much, you’ve gotta convince me because _this_ ” Harvey moved his hips again, “this is a horrible idea.”

“No it isn’t,” Mike said insistently. “It’s a great fucking idea.” He ran his mouth down the length of Harvey’s neck, using the hand on his head to encourage the other man to tilt the way he wanted. “Although, I normally imagine this happening in your office.”

“And just what have you been imagining happening in my office?” Harvey closed his eyes as Mike titled his head back more to lightly bite at his Adam’s apple.

“Us finally giving into the tension that’s been building for the last couple months.” Mike moved the hand that had been holding Harvey’s bicep up to get tangled in his hair as Harvey’s hands came up to rest on his hips. “Me messing up your perfect fucking hair and finally getting to see your perfect fucking body. Running my tongue down your chest and stomach until I can suck on your per…”

“Shut up,” Harvey snarled, moving quickly to pull his head out of Mike’s grasp and using his hands to force the other man’s mouth to his. Weeks of watching the other man and wanting him despite every brainwave telling him it was wrong finally exploded when their lips met. He curled his hands in Mike’s hair and pulled his head back, his teeth latched onto his bottom lip for a moment longer before he let it go. “You said something about sucking,” Harvey said with a leer. Mike only took a shuddering breath before licking his lips in a way that made Harvey’s cock twitch against the cotton of his shorts.

A shove at Mike’s shoulder was enough to have him on his knees before Harvey could say a word. The blond glanced up at him once before turning his attention to the boxers, leaning forward to run his tongue along the damp patch near the top before using both hands to pull them down. Harvey moaned as Mike licked a stripe up the bottom of his cock, one hand wrapping around the base to hold it steady while the other was braced against Harvey’s thigh, his thumb digging into the crease where thigh meets ass.

Mike’s mouth felt so hot Harvey thought he was going to catch on fire when the other man finally wrapped his lips around the head of his cock.

“God, Mike,” Harvey said, trying not to push forward as the other man slowly worked his mouth down the length of him until Harvey was pressing against the back of his throat. Mike gagged slightly, pulling back for a moment before moving forward again. Harvey curled his fingers into Mike’s hair, moaning out encouragement as the other man continued to work his way up and down. His other hand drifted down to rest lightly on the side of Mike’s face. He ran the tip of his thumb along the other man’s stretched lips, earning himself a groan that vibrated through him all the way to his toes.

“You’re gorgeous,” Harvey said lightly, staring down. “You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined this.” Mike looked up at him with watery blue eyes and twirled his tongue along the head of Harvey’s cock as he pulled back. Harvey grunted when the other man moved down again, tightening his hold on Mike’s hair and gently pushing him a bit faster. Mike, ever the fast learner, began moving with earnest, moaning around Harvey.

Harvey felt almost lightheaded with need, his hips moving upwards in jerky thrusts each time Mike pulled back. The blond, for his part, had slipped the hand off of Harvey’s thigh and moved it to caress his balls, rolling them and tugging lightly. It was when he shifted that hand to press his thumb against Harvey’s pucker that the older man felt his orgasm thunder through him. He could only groan out a quick warning, crying out when Mike swallowed around his cock so hard he felt like his brains were leaking a bit.

Mike sat back on his heels as Harvey slipped down the wall in front of him. He looked smug, his mouth tilting in a smirk that was too bruised and swollen for Harvey to do anything but move forward and kiss him. He worked his tongue into Mike’s mouth, tasting himself as he pushed the other man backwards towards the floor. He slipped a hand into Mike’s pajama bottoms and wrapped it firmly around the other man’s cock, thumbing over the slit to spread the precome that was leaking there.

“Unf, yes… please…” Mike moaned, pushing his hips up and thrusting into Harvey’s fist.

“Next time we’re doing this in a bed,” Harvey said into Mike’s ear, leaning down to suck at his neck as he jerked him off with slow, sure movements. Mike nodded quickly, turning his head to the side and biting at Harvey’s lips.

“Just… next time… ok, whatever, just let me come,” Mike begged. Harvey grinned against his lips before speeding up his hand. He twisted his wrist on each upstroke until Mike finally fell to pieces underneath him, coating Harvey’s hand and his pajama pants. Harvey pulled his hand out and ran the tip of his tongue through the mess on his palm, causing Mike to moan and wiggle his hips slightly.

“C’mon,” Harvey said, pushing himself to his feet. He held his clean hand out to Mike but the other man only shook his head.

“Not. Moving.” Harvey grinned down at him, allowing himself a moment to take in his mussed hair and flushed cheeks.

“Now,” he said after a minute, reaching down to grab Mike’s arm and helping the other man to his feet.

“Harvey,” Mike said, grabbing Harvey’s hand as soon as he dropped it from Mike’s arm. The older man looked at him and felt a smile tug at his lips at the soft look at the other man’s face. “Next time, we’re also getting the pizza with the cheese in the crust.”

Harvey laughed, dragging Mike by their clasped hands into the bathroom to clean up before pushing him towards the bedroom.

“I might let you talk me into it.”


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Mike leaned back against the kitchen counter, watching Harvey gather together the makings of omelets and coffee. He let his eyes rake over the other man. The way his muscles moved under his skin as he bent and twisted made the younger man want to trace each one with fingers and lips. He finally gave in once Harvey had slid the food onto plates, walking over and slipping his arms around the other man’s waist so that his chest was tight against Harvey’s chest.

“The food will get cold,” Harvey chided as Mike slid his mouth along his shoulder.

“Don’t care,” Mike said, allowing his teeth to drag on Harvey’s skin as he spoke. “Do you know how much I wanted to do this when I was crashing here before?”

“I’m not having sex with you in the kitchen, Mike.” Harvey hummed low in his throat as Mike worked his way to the base of his neck. “It’s unsanitary.”

“You have a bed and I don’t have any tutoring appointments until this afternoon.” Mike pulled back and smirked at Harvey when the older man turned around. Harvey glanced at the freshly plated food for a moment before reaching out and dragging Mike back against him by the waistband of his boxers.

“Or I could just fuck you over the couch and then kick you out for the rest of the weekend so I can get some work done without you distracting me.”

“Or that,” Mike said in a breathy voice, pushing his hips against Harvey’s as the other man slid his hands around to cup his ass.

“You’re going to ruin me, kid,” Harvey leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

“Only if you can’t keep up, old man.” Mike yelped as Harvey tightened his grip before laughing as the other man directed them both towards the other room.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Mike walked into Harvey’s office on Monday afternoon with a wide smile on his face. The busy professor had sent him a text telling him they had an “appointment” and Mike had spent half the morning imagining the shenanigans they could get up to on top of Harvey’s desk. His smile faltered when he came face to face with the other man.

“Close the door, please,” Harvey said coldly. The older man was looking closely at a piece of paper on his desk and didn’t bother meeting Mike’s eye until he had sat down.

“Har…” Mike closed his mouth when Harvey glanced up at him, a tight look on his face.

“I had a meeting with Jessica this morning,” Harvey said. He sat back in his chair slightly and threaded his fingers together on top of the desk. It was the same posture Mike had seem him take when talking to troublesome students and it made the younger man want to squirm. “We received word from the campus police that someone has been trying to sell test answers from our department. The person didn’t show up for the delivery so they aren’t sure who did it. They were at least smart enough to use a computer in the library so the ad couldn’t be tracked back to them.”

Mike snorted slightly and then bit back the giggle when Harvey narrowed.

“Sorry,” the blond said with a slight shrug,” It’s just… you teach law and ethics and… yea. Not funny.”

“Not funny at all.” Harvey looked back down at the paper in front of him, moving his hands to bracket it on his desk. “Louis is trying to blame Kyle’s girlfriend since…”

“Wait! Kyle has a _girlfriend_? No wonder we always…” Mike clamed up when Harvey’s face darkened a bit. He took a deep breath and when he opened them again the other man looked impassive as ever.

“As I was saying before you interrupted, again, Louis is blaming Rachel. I know better. She’s a smart student and proficient with her work but she’s a horrible test taker. It’s a fair bet she’d help herself before she sold the answers if she’d gotten them from Kyle, don’t you think?” Mike nodded slightly.

“So… who…” Mike looked down at the paper that Harvey had been fiddling with.

“This was posted with the ad on Craigslist. A ‘sample’. The answers were covered but…” Harvey trailed off and when Mike caught his eye again the other man looked torn in two. “I knew better,” the dark haired man said softly.

Mike reached out his hand in a need to touch Harvey only to have the other man jerk away. When Mike opened his mouth to say something, Harvey only shook his head.

“This isn’t Kyle’s copy of the test,” he said firmly.

“How do you know?” Mike pulled his hand back and dropped it into his lap.

“Because it’s yours.” Harvey held the paper up so Mike could see it clearly. He pointed to the top right corner before setting the paper back down in front of Mike. “You have a habit of tapping your pen when you’re reading something. It’s so damn annoying and it would have driven me crazy but your face…” Harvey trailed off, clenching his jaw tight as he pushed away from his desk and stood up, turning his back on Mike.

“Harvey, I would _never_ do something like this.” Mike stood up as well, grabbing the paper off of the desk as he did so.

“Can you say the same about Trevor?” Harvey asked, not bothering to turn around.

“Trevor wouldn’t…” Mike stopped himself, shaking his head. “He wouldn’t,” he said more softly.

“You’re a terrible liar, Mike. You bite your cheek and blink a million times before the lie even crosses your lips.” Harvey turned around with a sigh. “I trusted you. I took a chance that I swore I wouldn’t and it bit me in the ass.” Mike felt something clench in his chest knowing that Harvey wasn’t only talking about the test anymore. “I can’t trust you anymore, Mike. With anything.

You’re fired.”

“Harv…” Mike reached out to the other man who only pulled away and turned back towards the window. “Harvey, you can’t do this. I don’t believe Trevor would try this. I don’t even know how he would have gotten them but Harvey… Harvey, please, just… look at me and…”

“You can go now, Mike.” Mike tried to interrupt only to have Harvey speak over him. “I’ll let Jessica know you resigned because of school stresses just… go.” Harvey moved from the window to the door, holding it open and staring at the wall. Mike took a deep breath and then a second before picking up his bag and clenching the test page in his fist. He didn’t bother to say a word as he left, refusing to look back. He could feel Harvey’s eyes on him until he closed the door to his office.

\---------------------------------------------------

Mike didn’t remember the bike ride back to his small apartment. As he stood outside his door all he could think about was the way the world seemed to have tilted in a way that had him clutching at his bag like a life preserver. He finally managed to get his key into the lock that refused to stay still and valiantly refused to collapse against the door once he was inside.

“Hey.” Mike’s head jerked up at the quiet voice. Trevor was standing up from his place on the couch, sliding his hands into his pockets as he took a step forward.

“What the fuck, dude?” Mike pushed away from the door, dropping his bag on the floor, the scrap of paper that was still clutched in his hand fluttered down after it.

“You stopped returning my calls,” Trevor explained with a shrug. “So I told your landlord that I was your brother. She’s nice.”

“She’s half senile if she thinks we look anything like each other.” Trevor laughed at that, glancing down at the floor before looking back up with a soft smile that made Mike’s stomach churn.

“I’ve missed you, Mikey. I…” Mike bit the inside of his cheek as Trevor looked back down, scuffing at the floor with the toe of his shoe. “I can’t stand not being with you.”

“You were never _with_ me,” Mike said, wincing at his own snide tone. He ran a hand through his hair and ignored Trevor’s hurt look, focusing instead on the stack of books on his table that he didn’t remember putting there.

“You know what I mean,” Trevor insisted. “You’re my oldest friend and I hate that we fought like this.” Trevor walked towards Mike, reaching out and wrapping his long fingers around Mike’s wrist. “C’mon, Mikey. Look at me.” Mike did, tearing his eyes away from the thin folder sitting on top of the books, Harvey’s fine script across the front.

“What are those?” Mike asked, nodding towards the table. Trevor only shrugged again, focusing instead on making small circles with his thumb over Mike’s pulse point.

“Just some things you left at the apartment. I thought you’d want them…”

“Did you decide to bring them over before or after your deal to sell the test fell through?” Trevor took a step back as if Mike had taken a swing at him. He shook his head in denial but Mike was well versed in every little twitch Trevor’s face had ever made and could only grit his teeth against the lie he knew was coming.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Trevor insisted. “I found that folder under your bed and…”

“Just stop, Trev.” Mike rubbed his hand over his neck. “Craigslist? Seriously?” Trevor grimaced for a moment before rolling his eyes.

“I know, I know,” he said, holding up his hands in a placating manner. “It was dumb and I’m a moron and I don’t know why I did it at all I just… I missed you.”

“You missed me? You _missed_ me?” Mike took a step towards Trevor, hands balling into fists at his side. “You missed me so much you decided to try and get me expelled?”

“That wouldn’t have happened,” Trevor said calmly. He took a step towards Mike, putting them back in each other’s personal space. Mike jerked his head to the side slightly when the taller man reached up to touch his cheek.

“I got fired,” he said between his teeth.

“From a job you technically weren’t qualified for in the first place.” Trevor ran his hand along Mike’s shoulder.

“You think that makes it better?” Mike asked, staring past Trevor and fighting the urge to push the other man away. “Harvey trusted me a…”

“Harvey? He’s Harvey now, is he?” Trevor reached over to turn Mike’s chin so that their eyes met. “ _Harvey_ obviously doesn’t know you at all if he fired you for this. You’re a good man. He couldn’t see that.” The way Trevor said Harvey’s name, the snide dismal in his voice, gave Mike enough motivation to pull away completely.

“You fucked me, Trev.” Mike held out his hand to stop the other man from stepping in again. “I was finally becoming my own man and you hated that.”

“ _You_ stopped talking me. _You_ walked the other way anytime I saw you on campus. I tried _everything_ to get through to you but you just tossed a lifetime of friendship out the door because you were jealous, because you couldn’t share.”

“Jea…” Mike took in a shuddering breath. “Are you seriously trying to blame this on me?” Trevor only smiled in a way that would have ignited something deep inside Mike a few weeks prior.

“I forgive you.” Mike felt something inside of him snap. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again it was like a stranger was standing in front of him. “Things were a little strained and the pressure got to you. I get that. I want us to be like we were before. I want you to move back in because I miss you like Hell so… of course I forgive you.”

“ _I_ don’t forgive _you_.” Trevor tried to speak but Mike continued. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive you.” Mike walked back to the door and opened it wide. “Don’t lie to my landlord again.”

“Michael, c’mon…” Trevor walked forward and Mike stared back at him, hand tight around the doorknob. “You know I don’t want to live in a world where we’re not tight.”

“Then kill yourself.” Mike smiled thinly. “Get out. Get the _hell_ out.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to the fabulous Veritas_st for the beta and cheerleading. Also, thanks to everyone who's read this and been patient through the holidays. The comments and kudos make the effort worthwhile. *Porny Epilogue To Follow*

It took three weeks for Mike to make the decision to fight back. Three long weeks of skipped classes and ignoring the urge to track Harvey down. Trevor had finally given up calling in the first week and stopped using Jenny as a go-between in the second after Mike threatened to tell her everything. He knows that she deserves the truth but there was still a part of him that will always belong to Trevor. He hated it.

“Mike?” The blond lifted his head at the sound of his name. It took three weeks to make the call and now he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Hi, Donna.” He stood slowly, slipping his hands from his jacket pockets to offer one in greeting. Donna only glanced at it for a moment before reaching out to pull Mike into a quick hug.

“It’s about time,” she said when she pulled back. She looked at him sympathetically for a moment before slapping the back of his head. “Idiot.”

“A. Oww.” Mike rubbed the back of his head as he moved quickly to follow Donna into the coffee shop they’d agreed to meet at. “B. How much did he tell you?”

“He didn’t have to tell me. It was written all over his face,” Donna said, turning around to face him as they stood in line. “You hurt him.”

“Maybe he hurt me too,” Mike said softly as Donna turned back towards the front to order her coffee.

“I don’t understand why you get skimmed milk but whipped cream,” Mike said after they’d collected their orders and made their way to an empty table.

“I get skimmed milk so I _can_ get whipped cream.” Donna flicked her hair over her shoulder and leveled an even look at Mike. Mike opened his mouth to speak and then closed it at the sight of her arched eyebrow.

“I’m going to say this as clearly as possible so that it gets through that dense skull of yours.” Mike tried to look offended but Donna just waved her hand at him. “You’re a man; you can’t help it.”

“That’s really not helpful,” Mike sulked. Donna only shrugged benevolently.

“You’ll get over it.” She paused, taking a drink of her frothy drink. Mike could only stare at his own cup, the heat of the black coffee burning through the thin cardboard sleeve. “What do you know about Cameron Dennis?”

“He was the District Attorney in New York City,” Mike said carefully. Donna nodded and then seemed to waiver again. “And I think he was more than that to Harvey,” Mike added.

“Good boy,” Donna said softly. “You’re observant. That’s good.”

“What does he have to do with this?” Mike asked, still watching the coffee swirl in his cup as he moved it gently side to side.

“Everything,” Donna insisted. “When Cameron got caught hiding evidence it was Harvey that tracked down the evidence needed to strip him of his license and put him behind bars.”

“That… sucks.” Mike looked up at Donna and saw her smiling sadly.

“It wrecked Harvey,” she said. “Not that he’d ever admit it. Cameron practically begged him to refuse to cooperate but that’s just not Harvey. He didn’t just testify, he dug through old case files to make sure everything was put right. He wouldn’t lie for a man he saw as a mentor and friend and… Whatever else Cameron was.” Donna set her hand on top of Mike’s to stop his fidgeting. “Harvey does not perjure himself. He _will not_ lie about things like that. The law is everything to him.”

Mike looked back down at his coffee, focusing on the contrast between Donna’s cool hands and his cup of hot coffee. He felt the ache in his chest he’d been pushing down since Harvey fired him flare up again.

“Harvey wouldn’t lie to keep Cameron out of jail and yet he told Jessica that you quit.” Donna squeezed Mike’s hand tightly, forcing him to meet her eye again. “He should have told her his suspicions about Trevor and turned the information over to the campus rent-a-cops so that they could investigate both of you. He didn’t. Do you get it?”

Mike started to shake his head but stopped himself, letting Donna’s words float through his brain.

“He lied for you, Mike.” Donna eyes pushed into Mike until he was sure the redhead could see right through him. “Get it now?”

“Fuck,” Mike breathed out. He screwed his eyes closed and dropped his head onto the table. “I fucked up,” he muttered into the fake wood tabletop.

“Yea,” Donna agreed as she stood up. Mike looked up to find her smiling calmly down at him. “Now go fix it.” Donna set a small silver key onto the table in front of Mike’s nose, forcing his eyes to cross as he stared at it. She patted his head before disappearing from his limited line of sight.

He found himself focusing so hard on the key that everything else faded away.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harvey pushed open his door slowly, carefully balancing a stack of essays on top of three text books Jessica had foisted off on him that afternoon to decide if he wanted to use them in the next semester. He didn’t even realize the lights in his apartment shouldn’t already be on until a figure moved in his peripheral, causing him to jump and drop the stack, the papers scattering across the floor.

“Oh God! Oh shit, Harvey, I’m sorry.”

“Mike?” Harvey stood by his door as Mike moved forward, stooping to pick up some of the papers before straightening up again. “How did you…”

“Donna,” Mike said, an apologetic look on his face.

“I’m going to fire her,” Harvey said gruffly, leaning back against the door.

“No you won’t.” Mike stepped forward again but stopped when Harvey glared at him. “I just want to talk to you.”

“I have office hours.” Harvey felt some slight satisfaction in the way Mike seemed to grimace at that. “Donna could have just scheduled you for a meeting.”

“I don’t want a meeting with Professor Specter,” Mike said carefully. “I want to talk to _you_. I want… I _need_ to apologize.”

“Mike.” Harvey dropped his head back against the door, staring up at the ceiling as he listened to the younger man take another step forward.

“I messed up,” the blond continued. “I get that. I acknowledge the fact that I am a gigantic fuck up in life. It’s not news!” Mike laughed then, a hurt, broken sound. “I tried so damn hard to do better and it just…”

The silence stretched on until Harvey tilted his head slightly to look at the other man. Mike stood in the middle of the floor, surrounded by paper, shoulders so low Harvey had to fight the urge to reach out to him.

“I tried,” Mike continued finally. “I tried to be a better person. I tried to use this ‘gift’ of mine for something worthwhile. It never works.” The last few words were so quiet that Harvey wasn’t sure if Mike was still talking to him or not. Mike looked up then and caught Harvey’s eye, staring at him before taking a deep breath.

“You were right about Trevor. I don’t even know why I tried to defend him.” Mike’s face took on a hard look for a moment before softening again. “But I’m done with that. I’m done trying to pretend he’ll ever be worth that sort of… dedication. I know he doesn’t think I am.”

Harvey could feel the corner of his mouth tilt up slightly at that confession. It made one of the knot twisting around in his stomach loosen slightly. He closed his eyes against the feeling, refusing to let it overcome him.

“Fine. Apology accepted. You can go now.” He clenched his jaw before straightening up and turning his back on Mike to set down the bag that was still hanging from his shoulder.

“I just…” Harvey could hear Mike come closer and he resolutely began emptying his bag onto the nearby table. “Damnit, Harvey.” He tensed as Mike’s hand contacted his shoulder but the other man just rested it there, a soft pressure.

“I said you can go,” Harvey said through clenched teeth. Mike’s fingers tightened slightly.

“No,” the other man said firmly. “I need you to hear this.” Harvey shook his head, feeling like a petulant child. “You say I’m crap at lying? You say you can see right through me? Turn around. Please.”

Harvey could hear Mike’s breath catch on the last word and it was enough to break through his stubbornness. He turned slowly, Mike’s hand slipping down his arm slightly before dropping completely.

“Fine,” Harvey said softly. “Lie to me.” Mike’s face fell for a split second before hardening again.

“I had no idea Trevor was going to try and sell that test,” he said slowly. “I didn’t even know he had it. I left it when I moved out of the apartment. I left a lot there…” He trailed off for a moment, glancing down at his feet before meeting Harvey’s eyes again. “But it was worth it.”

“OK, I believe you.” Harvey crossed his arms over his chest. “But this,” he gestured between them, “was a bad idea. It always was. We never should have…”

“No, we shouldn’t have,” Mike said firmly, “but we did and it was good. It was _really_ good. We were good.”

“That doesn’t change anything.” Harvey could feel the muscle in his jaw clenching and a headache beginning to form at the base of his skull. “It’s over, Mike. It never should have started in the first place.”

“Why?” Mike asked, stepping forward into Harvey’s personal space. “Because you’re a teacher? I graduate at the end of the winter semester so pick another excuse. Because you’ve been hurt in the past? We all have, Harvey. Because you’re afraid?” Mike paused, his blue eyes flicking back and forth as he stared into Harvey’s. “So am I. But I think… I think that’s how it’s supposed to be. I could quote a hundred different poems and stories and cheap dime-store romance novels if you want some sort of precedence.”

Harvey had to laugh at that, dropping his arms to his side as Mike smiled at him.

“You read romance novels?” Harvey asked with a slight smirk. The jab, carefully applied, was enough to take some of the tension out of Mike’s shoulders.

“My Grammy likes them,” the younger man said with a shrug. He kept his eyes on Harvey, the look on his face so open that the brunet found himself nodding to some unasked question.

“I’m not good at relationships, Mike,” he said softly. The other man only pulled a face.

“Neither am I,” Mike said. “But I’m a quick learner. I already know you’re a furnace at night and you like horrible cheesy sci-fi movies and you still refuse to try the pizza with cheese in the crust.” Harvey opened his mouth but Mike talked over him. “You work hard to make up for something that happened so long ago and was never your fault to begin with. You say you don’t care about your students but I think you really care so much you just can’t admit it because it makes you feel weak. You aren’t weak, Harvey. You’re amazing.”

“You’re delusional,” Harvey countered. Mike smiled at him and the last knots in Harvey’s stomach slowly came undone. “There’s no such thing as a horrible sci-fi movie.”

Mike laughed then, a loud, proper laugh that cuts through the last of the tension between them and caused Harvey to reach out and wrap his arms around the slighter man.

“You’re too skinny,” Harvey said, pulling Mike in close and feeling his shoulders shift under his hands.

“I’m not going to apologize for my lithe physique,” Mike laughed, wrapping his own arms around Harvey’s waist. The two men stood together in the entryway, papers scattered across the floor at their feet, just breathing each other in.


	10. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Mike sighed as Harvey pulled him aside, the older man adjusting the knot in his tie for the fourth time since they’d left the apartment.

“Stop it,” Mike whined. Harvey only leveled a stern look at him.

“These boosters provide half of the funds our department uses. If one of them corners you while I’m off schmoozing someone else just nod your head and look pretty.” Harvey patted Mike’s chest before turning back towards the steps leading up to the hotel hosting the benefit dinner.

“You think I’m pretty,” Mike sing songed, “You want to kiss me…”

“Miss Congeniality? Seriously?” Harvey grimaced at Mike over his shoulder.

“You quoted Star Trek in bed last night,” Mike said, rushing up the steps to whisper in the older man’s ear. Harvey shivered at the sensation and favored Mike with a dirty look as they crossed the threshold together.

“Behave yourself tonight and I’ll give you a treat,” Harvey whispered, smiling widely at an older gentleman they passed as they entered the large ballroom.

“Top?” Mike whispered back, enjoying the look on Harvey’s face as he tried to pretend they weren’t having this conversation.

“After quoting some chick flick?” Harvey paused to shake a woman’s hand, introducing her to Mike before guiding them towards an empty table. “No way,” he continued. “But I might let you ride me.” Harvey smiled benevolently when Mike growled at him in frustration.

“I hate you,” the younger man said, sitting down quickly and adjusting himself slightly under the table.

“No, you don’t.” Harvey sat next to him and nudged his foot under the table.

“No,” Mike said, matching the other man’s smile. “I really don’t.”

\----------------------------------------------

Mike did his damndest to push Harvey down onto the bed but the other man only chuckled at him in return. The drive back to the apartment had taken far too long, according to Mike, and now he wanted to cash in his just rewards.

“Who said you behaved tonight?” Harvey asked with a wide grin, slowly undoing the buttons on his cuffs before slipping his shirt off.

“I do,” Mike replied. His own shirt was already on the floor and he pushed his trousers down to meet it, boxers and socks quickly following. He preened slightly when Harvey’s hands paused over his own zipper once Mike was naked, the older man raking his eyes down Mike’s body for a moment before continuing towards nudity.

“I’m not sure it works that way.” Harvey took a step forward as he spoke, wrapping one arm low around Mike’s waist. He pulled them together, erections perking up as their hips met. “In fact, I’m positive it doesn’t.”

Mike knew he shouldn’t get so lightheaded when Harvey grabbed onto his ass, using years of regular gym workouts to lift the slighter man slightly so that Harvey could turn them both. He shouldn’t, but he did. He felt giddy when he hit the sheets and nearly forgot the reason he was so eager as Harvey laid himself out over him.

They line up almost perfectly, Harvey’s wider shoulders allowing him to easily bracket Mike’s as he leans in to kiss him. It was gentle at first, a tease of wine-flavored lips that ghosted over Mike’s. Harvey’s hands were in his hair, carding through it as they kissed to work out the gel Donna had insisted he use to ‘look like an adult’. Mike did the same to Harvey, working his thin fingers through the stiff brunet locks until it felt softer.

Harvey pulled back and looked down at Mike, an almost shy half smile pairing with hair falling in his face to make Mike’s breath catch in his chest. He leaned up to kiss Harvey again, drawing the other man back down as the kiss deepened into something messy and slick. Mike’s hips shifted under Harvey’s enough to draw a low moan from both men.

“Remember how I used to have a wrestling scholarship?” he asked, grinding up again into the other man and dragging his blunt nails along Harvey’s back. The older man groaned, his eyes fluttering closed as he arched his back slightly. When Harvey leaned forward to reinitiate their kiss, Mike used his distraction to flip them, hooking one leg around Harvey’s and taking advantage of the large bed.

Harvey laughed underneath him, tossing his arms over his head in an act of surrender.

“You win tonight, kid,” Harvey said breathlessly. He tilted his head back and to the side, inviting Mike’s lips and teeth and tongue to trace along the vein thumping just under the surface. “Give me a hickey that’s still showing by class on Monday and I will hurt you,” Harvey growled.

“That’s not much of a threat,” Mike said smugly as he sucked lightly on the soft skin below Harvey’s ear.

“I’ll get Jessica to fail you out of your bar prep courses.” Harvey grabbed onto Mike’s hips, rubbing his thumbs over the bones protruding there, gentle actions countering the threats.

“She likes me better than you,” Mike said, sliding down the other man slightly to press biting kisses to Harvey’s collar bone and pectorals. His new position rubbed his stomach against Harvey’s hard cock and the course hairs there provided a contrast to the hot skin that had Harvey grunting in pleasure each time Mike shifted a little lower. Just as Mike’s lips were slipping along Harvey’s hipbones the slighter man sat up again, rolling way and leaving Harvey panting and protesting.

“Or I could just not get the lube,” Mike said over his shoulder as he shuffled through the small drawer on Harvey’s side of the bed. He returned quickly, not giving Harvey a chance to catch his breath before he resumed his position between the other man’s legs.

“So mouthy,” Harvey said as Mike ran his tongue along the crease where Harvey’s thigh met his groin. Mike only hummed his agreement, resting one hand on Harvey’s thigh as his tongue moved to slide up the vein along the underside of Harvey’s cock.

“Are you complaining?” Mike asked, letting his lips rub against the head of Harvey’s erection with each word. The brunet cocked his head slightly as if in deep though before shaking it quickly. “Good.”

Mike took Harvey into his mouth until the head of his cock rubbed along the back of his throat, pushing past his gag reflex to swallow around the other man’s erection. Harvey moaned at that, resting one hand on the back of Mike’s neck as the other man moved slowly. His other hand went to his own hair, brushing away the locks sticking to his sweaty forehead as he leaned up slightly to watch.

Mike raised his eyes to meet Harvey’s and smiled around the other man’s cock when Harvey tensed at the sound of the cap of the lube snapping open. He considered trying to continue while still sucking Harvey’s cock but the other man tended to get annoyed when the bed was stained with more lube than absolutely necessary. Harvey couldn’t bite back the whine that slipped his throat as Mike straightened up.

“Aren’t you always telling me to be more patient?” Mike asked as he squeezed some lube onto his fingers. Harvey only shrugged, slipping back into his man-of-the-world façade as he watched Mike work, both arms crossed behind his head. The younger man matched his smirk before kneeling up slightly and reaching behind himself. He ran one finger along the crease of his ass until he reached his hole, running just the tip along the ring of muscle until he felt like he would shake apart from want. His eyes never left Harvey’s as he slipped the finger in to the knuckle, working it slowly for only a few strokes before slipping in a second.

Harvey’s mouth opened slightly as he watched him, the rise and fall of his broad chest speeding up slightly each time Mike moaned above him. Finally Harvey sat up, wrapping one hand around Mike’s back and resting the other on his thigh as he leaned around the other man to watch him work himself open.

“God, Mike…” Harvey said lightly, pressing kisses along Mike’s shoulder. “Hurry up.” Mike’s hips pushed forward at the low tone of Harvey’s voice. He scissored the fingers inside himself for another long minute before pulling them out with a slow hiss.

Mike pushed on Harvey’s chest with his clean hand, encouraging the other man to lie down before squeezing out more lube to coat Harvey’s leaking cock. He took a deep breath as he positioned himself over the older man, holding Harvey’s eye as he lowered his body down, He moved slowly but surely, accustomed to the pleasurable heat that came from too little preparation and too much Harvey.

“Remind me to reward you for good behavior more often,” Harvey said, resting his hands lightly on Mike’s hips as the other man began to rotate them above him, never actually moving up on Harvey’s cock. The motion was maddening, providing just enough friction to make Harvey want more. He tightened his grip slightly only to have Mike grab his hands and force them back against the pillows beneath Harvey’s head.

“No way,” Mike said, the last word cracking midway through as he shifted on Harvey’s cock. “I behaved. Now it’s your turn.”

Harvey found himself nodding fiercely as Mike held his hands down and began to move with more purpose. Any time Harvey tried to fuck up into the other man Mike would shift his weight, moving at a different pace and angle until all Harvey could do was lay back and let himself be ridden.

“Come on, Mike,” Harvey encouraged as Mike began to speed up. The younger man straightened up, releasing his grip on Harvey’s hands so that he could move more freely. “That’s good. That’s so good.” Mike whined above him, one hand resting on Harvey’s chest to keep his balance as he rocked down onto his cock. “I… please…” Harvey’s voice broke off in a moan as Mike clenched around him.

“Say it again,” Mike said, wrapping his free hand around his own cock and matching his own furious pace as Harvey watched.

“What?” Harvey groaned as Mike continued moving. He wanted nothing more that to flip the younger man onto his back and fuck him into the mattress, run his tongue through the layer of sweat that covered his collarbones.

“Say please,” Mike said. His eyes were locked on Harvey’s as he moved above him, moaning in that broken way that let Harvey know that he was close.

“Please,” Harvey moaned. “Please.” He clenched his hands into fists to fight the urge to reach out for the other man. “Please come for me. Please… please let me come for you.”

“So come,” Mike said hungrily. The look in his eyes was like fire and that was all it took for Harvey to give in to his orgasm, his cock swelling and releasing inside of Mike as the other man ground against him. Mike followed before Harvey was even finished, his fist moving in a blur of motion until he shouted and panted.

He fell forward onto Harvey, tempting the other man to complain about the weight until he decided to simply wrap his arms around the sweaty man and pull him in tighter.

“I’m so doing that more often,” Mike said against Harvey’s shoulder.

“I might let you.” Harvey smirked at Mike when he raised his head to glare at him. “If you can behave.”


End file.
